PHPBB 3

phpBB 3.
0 Olympus Documentation
Edited by Dominik Dröscher and Graham Eames

phpBB 3.0 Olympus Documentation
by Dominik Dröscher and Graham Eames
Copyright © 2005 phpBB Group
Abstract
The detailed documentation for phpBB 3.0 Olympus.
Table of Contents
1. Quick Start Guide ..................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Requirements ................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Installation ..................................................................................................... 1
1.2.1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 2
1.2.2. Requirements ....................................................................................... 2
1.2.3. Database settings .................................................................................. 3
1.2.4. Administrator details ............................................................................. 4
1.2.5. Configuration file ................................................................................. 4
1.2.6. Advanced settings ................................................................................. 4
1.3. General settings .............................................................................................. 4
1.3.1. Board Settings ..................................................................................... 5
1.3.2. Board Features ..................................................................................... 5
1.4. Creating forums .............................................................................................. 6
1.5. Setting permissions ......................................................................................... 8
1.5.1. Permission types .................................................................................. 8
1.5.2. Setting forum permissions ...................................................................... 9
1.5.3. Manual permissions ............................................................................. 10
1.5.4. Permissions roles ................................................................................ 10
1.5.5. Assign moderators to forums ................................................................ 11
1.5.6. Setting global permissions .................................................................... 12
1.6. Obtaining support .......................................................................................... 13
2. Upgrade Guide ........................................................................................................ 14
2.1. Upgrading from 2.0 to 3.0 .............................................................................. 14
3. Administration Guide ............................................................................................... 15
3.1. The Administration Control Panel .................................................................... 15
3.2. General Configuration and Front Page .............................................................. 16
3.2.1. Board Configuration ............................................................................ 16
3.2.1.1. Attachment Settings .................................................................. 16
3.2.1.2. Board Settings ......................................................................... 16
3.2.1.3. Board Features ......................................................................... 17
3.2.1.4. Avatar Settings ........................................................................ 17
3.2.1.5. Private Messaging .................................................................... 18
3.2.2. Client communication .......................................................................... 19
3.2.2.1. Authentication ......................................................................... 19
3.2.2.2. Email settings .......................................................................... 19
3.2.2.3. Jabber settings ......................................................................... 20
3.2.3. Server configuration ............................................................................ 21
3.2.3.1. Cookie settings ........................................................................ 21
3.2.3.2. Server settings ......................................................................... 22
3.2.3.3. Security settings ....................................................................... 23
3.2.3.4. Load settings ........................................................................... 25
3.2.3.5. Search settings ......................................................................... 27
3.3. Forum Admin ............................................................................................... 28
3.3.1. Explanation of forum types ................................................................... 28
3.3.2. Subforums ......................................................................................... 29
3.3.3. Manage forums .................................................................................. 29
3.4. Posting Settings ............................................................................................ 30
3.4.1. BBCodes ........................................................................................... 30
3.4.2. Private message settings ....................................................................... 31
3.4.3. Topic icons ........................................................................................ 32
3.4.4. Smilies .............................................................................................. 33
3.4.5. Word censoring .................................................................................. 34
3.4.6. Attachment Settings ............................................................................ 34
3.4.7. Manage extensions .............................................................................. 36
3.4.8. Manage extension groups ..................................................................... 36
iv
3.4.9. Orphaned attachments .......................................................................... 37

3.5. Users Management ........................................................................................ 37
3.5.1. Manage Users .................................................................................... 37
3.5.1.1. User Overview ......................................................................... 38
3.5.1.2. User Feedback ......................................................................... 39
3.5.1.3. User Profile ............................................................................. 39
3.5.1.4. User Preferences ...................................................................... 40
3.5.1.5. User Avatar ............................................................................. 40
3.5.1.6. User Rank ............................................................................... 40
3.5.1.7. User Signature ......................................................................... 40
3.5.1.8. Groups ................................................................................... 40
3.5.1.9. Permissions ............................................................................. 41
3.5.1.10. Attachments ........................................................................... 41
3.5.2. Inactive Users .................................................................................... 41
3.5.3. Users' permissions .............................................................................. 42
3.5.4. Users' forum permissions ..................................................................... 43
3.5.5. Custom profile fields ........................................................................... 44
3.5.6. Managing ranks .................................................................................. 45
3.5.7. User Security ..................................................................................... 45
3.5.7.1. Ban emails .............................................................................. 45
3.5.7.2. Ban IPs .................................................................................. 46
3.5.7.3. Ban Users ............................................................................... 47
3.5.7.4. Disallow usernames .................................................................. 48
3.5.7.5. Prune users ............................................................................. 49
3.6. Group Management ....................................................................................... 50
3.6.1. Group types ....................................................................................... 50
3.6.2. Group attributes .................................................................................. 51
3.6.3. Default groups ................................................................................... 52
3.7. Permission Overload ...................................................................................... 52
3.8. Styles .......................................................................................................... 52
3.8.1. Templates .......................................................................................... 53
3.8.2. Themes ............................................................................................. 53
3.8.3. Imagesets .......................................................................................... 53
3.9. Board Maintenance ........................................................................................ 53
3.9.1. Forum Logs ....................................................................................... 53
3.9.2. Database backup and restore ................................................................. 53
3.9.3. Search Indexing .................................................................................. 55
3.10. System Configuration ................................................................................... 55
3.10.1. Checking for updates ......................................................................... 55
3.10.2. Managing Search Robots .................................................................... 56
3.10.3. Mass email ...................................................................................... 57
3.10.4. Language Packs ................................................................................ 57
3.10.5. PHP Information ............................................................................... 58
3.10.6. Manage reasons for reporting and denying posts ..................................... 58
3.10.7. Module Management ......................................................................... 59
4. Moderator Guide ..................................................................................................... 61
4.1. Editing posts ................................................................................................ 61
4.2. Moderation tools ........................................................................................... 61
4.2.1. Locking a topic or post ........................................................................ 62
4.2.2. Deleting a topic or post ....................................................................... 62
4.2.3. Moving a topic into another forum ......................................................... 63
4.2.3.1. Shadow Topics ........................................................................ 63
4.2.4. Duplicating a topic .............................................................................. 63
4.2.5. Announcements and stickies ................................................................. 63
4.2.6. Splitting posts off a topic ..................................................................... 63
4.2.7. Merge topics ...................................................................................... 64
4.2.8. Merge posts into another topic .............................................................. 64
4.3. What is the “Moderation queue”? ..................................................................... 64
v
4.4. What are “Reported posts”? ............................................................................ 65

4.5. The Moderator Control Panel (MCP) ................................................................ 65
4.5.1. Moderation queue ............................................................................... 65
4.5.2. Reported posts ................................................................................... 66
4.5.3. Forum moderation ............................................................................... 66
5. User Guide ............................................................................................................. 67
5.1. How user permissions affect forum experience ................................................... 67
5.2. Registering on a phpBB3 board ....................................................................... 67
5.3. Orienting Yourself in the User Control Panel ..................................................... 68
5.3.1. Overview .......................................................................................... 69
5.3.1.1. Subscriptions ........................................................................... 69
5.3.1.2. Bookmarks .............................................................................. 69
5.3.1.3. Drafts ..................................................................................... 69
5.3.2. Profile .............................................................................................. 70
5.3.2.1. Personal settings ...................................................................... 70
5.3.2.2. Signature ................................................................................ 70
5.3.2.3. Avatar .................................................................................... 70
5.3.3. Preferences ........................................................................................ 71
5.3.3.1. Global .................................................................................... 71
5.3.3.2. Posting ................................................................................... 71
5.3.3.3. Display ................................................................................... 72
5.3.4. Friends and Foes ................................................................................ 72
5.3.5. Attachments ....................................................................................... 72
5.3.6. Usergroups ........................................................................................ 72
5.4. Mastering the Posting Screen .......................................................................... 72
5.4.1. Posting Form ..................................................................................... 72
5.4.2. Smilies .............................................................................................. 73
5.4.3. BBCodes ........................................................................................... 73
5.4.4. Post Options ...................................................................................... 73
5.4.4.1. Topic Types ............................................................................ 74
5.4.5. Attachments ....................................................................................... 74
5.4.6. Polls ................................................................................................. 75
5.4.7. Drafts ............................................................................................... 75
5.5. Communicate with Private Messages ................................................................ 75
5.5.1. Message display ................................................................................. 76
5.5.2. Composing a new message ................................................................... 76
5.5.3. Message Folders ................................................................................. 76
5.5.3.1. Custom Folders ........................................................................ 76
5.5.3.2. Moving Messages ..................................................................... 77
5.5.3.3. Message Markers ..................................................................... 77
5.5.4. Message filters ................................................................................... 77
5.6. Search - How to Find What You are Looking For ............................................... 77
5.7. The Memberlist - More Than Meets the Eye ...................................................... 78
6. Glossary ................................................................................................................. 80
6.1. Terms ......................................................................................................... 80
vi
List of Figures
1.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Database settings .................................................................................................... 3
1.3. Board Settings ........................................................................................................ 5
1.4. Board Features ....................................................................................................... 6
1.5. Global and local permissions .................................................................................... 8
1.6. Select Groups ......................................................................................................... 9
1.7. Manual permissions ............................................................................................... 10
1.8. Permission roles .................................................................................................... 11
1.9. The Forum Moderator's Permissions ......................................................................... 12
3.1. Administration Control Panel Index .......................................................................... 15
3.2. Creating subforums ............................................................................................... 29
3.3. Managing Forums Icon Legend ............................................................................... 30
3.4. Creating BBCodes ................................................................................................. 31
3.5. Selecting forums for users' forum permissions ............................................................ 43
3.6. List of backups available ........................................................................................ 54
3.7. Report/denial reasons page ...................................................................................... 59
4.1. Quick Mod Tools .................................................................................................. 62
5.1. The Typical Registration Page ................................................................................. 67
5.2. The Visual Confirmation Object .............................................................................. 68
5.3. User Control Panel Overview (Index) ....................................................................... 69
5.4. Sorting the memberlist ........................................................................................... 78
vii
Chapter 1. Quick Start Guide
$Id: quick_start_guide.xml 243 2008-12-20 13:42:18Z ameeck $
A quick guide through the first steps of installing and configuring up your very own phpBB 3.0 forum.
1.1. Requirements
Graham
phpBB has a few requirements which must be met before you are able to install and use it. In this
section, these requirements are explained.
• A webserver or web hosting account running on any major Operating System with support for PHP
• A SQL database system, one of:
• FireBird 2.0 or above
• MySQL 3.23 or above
• MS SQL Server 2000 or above (directly or via ODBC)
• Oracle
• PostgreSQL 7.x or above
• SQLite 2
• PHP 4.3.3 or above with support for the database you intend to use. The optional presence of the
following modules within PHP will provide access to additional features, but they are not required.
• zlib Compression support
• Remote FTP support
• XML support
• Imagemagick support
• GD support
The presence of each of these required features will be checked during the installation process,
explained in Section 1.2, “Installation”.
1.2. Installation
dhn
phpBB 3.0 Olympus has an easy to use installation system that will guide you through the installation
process.
Note
phpBB 3.0 Beta 1 will not yet have the ability to upgrade from phpBB 2.0.x or to convert
from a different software package. This will be included in the later Beta or RC stages.
1
Quick Start Guide
After you have decompressed the phpBB3 archive and uploaded the files to the location where you
want it to be installed, you need to enter the URL into your browser to open the installation screen.
The first time you point your browser to the URL (http://www.example.com/phpBB3 for
instance), phpBB will detect that it is not yet installed and automatically redirect you to the installation
screen.
Figure 1.1. Introduction
The introduction page of the installation system.
1.2.1. Introduction
The installation screen gives you a short introduction into phpBB. It allows you to read the
license phpBB 3.0 is released under (the General Public License [http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-
license.php]) and provides information about how you can receive support. To start the installation,
click the Install button (see Figure 1.1, “Introduction”).
1.2.2. Requirements
Important
Please read the section on phpBB3's requirements to find out more about the phpBB 3.0's
minimum requirements.
The requirements list is the first page you will see after starting the installation. phpBB 3.0
automatically checks if everything that it needs to run properly is installed on your server. In order
to continue the installation, you will need to have PHP installed (the minimum version number is
shown on the requirements page), and at least one database available to continue the installation. It
is also important that all shown folders are available and have the correct permissions set. Please see
the description of each section to find out if they are optional or required for phpBB 3.0 to run. If
everything is in order, you can continue the installation by clicking the Start Install button.
2
Quick Start Guide
1.2.3. Database settings

You now have to decide which database to use. See the Requirements section for information on
which databases are supported. If you do not know your database settings, please contact your hosting
company and ask for them. You will not be able to continue without them. You need:
• The Database Type - the database you will be using (e.g. mySQL, SQL server, Oracle)
• The Database server hostname or DSN - the address of the database server.
• The Database server port - the port of the database server (most of the time this is not needed).
• The Database name- the name of the database on the server.
• The Database username and Database password - the login data to access the database.
Tip
If you are installing using SQLite, you should enter the full path to your database file in
the DSN field and leave the username and password fields blank. For security reasons, you
should make sure that the database file is not stored in a location accessible from the web.
Figure 1.2. Database settings
The database settings screen, please make sure to have all the required data available
You don't need to change the Prefix for tables in database setting, unless you plan on using multiple
phpBB installations on one database. In this case you can use a different prefix for each installation
to make it work.
3
Quick Start Guide
After you have entered your details, you can continue by clicking the Proceed to next step button.
Now, phpBB 3.0 will test and verify the data you entered.
If you see a "Could not connect to the database" error, this means that you didn't enter the database
data correctly and it is not possible for phpBB to connect. Make sure that everything you entered is in
order and try again. Again, if you are unsure about your database settings, please contact your host.
Tip
Remember that your database username and password are case sensitive. You must use the
exact one you have set up or been given by your host
If you installed another version of phpBB before on the same database with the same prefix, phpBB
will inform you and you just need to enter a different database prefix.
If you see the Successful Connection message, you can continue to the next step.
1.2.4. Administrator details

Now you have to create your administration user. This user will have full administration access and
he will be the first user on your forum. All fields on this page are required. You can also set the
default language of your forum on this page. In a vanilla (basic) phpBB 3.0 installation we only include
English [GB]. You can download further languages from www.phpbb.com [http://www.phpbb.com],
and add them later.
1.2.5. Configuration file

In this step, phpBB will automatically try to write the configuration file. The forum needs the
configuration to run properly. It contains all of the database settings, so without it, phpBB will not
be able to access the database.
Usually, automatically writing the configuration file works fine. But in some cases it can fail due
to wrong file permissions, for instance. In this case, you need to upload the file manually. phpBB
asks you to download the config.php file and tells you what to do with it. Please read the instructions
carefully. After you have uploaded the file, click Done to get to the last step. If Done returns you to
the same page as before, and does not return a success message, you did not upload the file correctly.
1.2.6. Advanced settings

The Advanced settings allow you to set some parameters of the board configuration. They are optional,
and you can always change them later if you wish. So if you are unsure of what these settings mean,
ignore them and proceed to the final step to finish the installation.
If the installation was successful, you can now use the Login button to visit the Administration Control
Panel. Congratulations, you have installed phpBB 3.0 successfully. But there is still a lot of work
ahead!
If you are unable to get phpBB 3.0 installed even after reading this guide, please look at the support
section to find out where you can ask for further assistance.
At this point if you are upgrading from phpBB 2.0, you should refer to the upgrade guide for further
information. If not, you should remove the install directory from your server as you will only be able
to access the Administration Control Panel whilst it is present.
1.3. General settings

zeroK
4
Quick Start Guide
In this section you will learn how to change some of the basic settings of your new board.
Right after the installation you will be redirected to the so called "Administration Control
Panel" (ACP). You can also access this panel by clicking the [Administration Control Panel] link at
the bottom of your forum. In this interface you can change everything about your board.
1.3.1. Board Settings

The first section of the ACP you will probably want to visit right after the installation is "Board
Settings". Here you can first of all change the name (Site name) and description (Site description) of
your board.
Figure 1.3. Board Settings
Here you can edit the Site name and Site description of your board.
This form also holds the options for changing things like the timezone (System timezone) as well as
the date format used to render dates/times (Date format).
There you can also select a new style (after having installed it) for your board and enforce it on all
members ignoring whatever style they've selected in their "User Control Panel". The style will also
be used for all forums where you haven't specified a different one. For details on where to get new
styles and how to install them, please visit the styles home page [http://www.phpbb.com/styles/] at
phpbb.com [http://www.phpbb.com/].
If you want to use your board for a non-English community, this form also lets you change the default
language (Default Language) (which can be overridden by each user in their UCPs). By default,
phpBB3 only ships with the English language pack. So, before using this field, you will have to
download the language pack for the language you want to use and install it. For details, please read
Language packs .
1.3.2. Board Features

If you want to enable or disable some of the basic features of your board, this is the place to go. Here
you can allow and disallow for example username changes (Allow Username changes) or the creation
of attachments (Allow Attachments). You can even disable BBCode altogether (Allow BBCode).
5
Quick Start Guide
Figure 1.4. Board Features
Enabling and disabling basic features with just 2 clicks
Disabling BBCode completely is a little bit to harsh for your taste but you don't want your users
to abuse the signature field for tons of images? Simply set Allow use of IMG BBCode Tag in user
signatures to "No". If you want to be a little bit more specific on what you want to allow and disallow
in users' signatures, have a look at the "Signature Settings" form.
The "Board Features" form offers you a great way to control the features in an all-or-nothing way. If
you want to get into the details on each feature, there is for everything also a separated form which let's
you specify everything from the maximum number of characters allowed in a post (Max characters per
post in "Post Settings") to how large a user's avatar can be (Maximum Avatar Dimensions in "Avatar
Settings").
Important
If you disable features, these will also be unavailable to users who would normally have them
according to their respective permissions. For details on the permissions system, please read
Section 1.5, “Setting permissions” or the in-depth guide in the Administrator Guide.
1.4. Creating forums

Anon
MennoniteHobbit
Forums are the sections where topics are stored. Without forums, your users would have nowhere to
post! Creating forums is very easy.
Firstly, make sure you are logged in. Find the [ Administration Control Panel ] link at the bottom of
the page, and click it. You should be in the Administration Index. You can administer your board here.
There are tabs at the top for the Administration Control Panel that will guide you to each category.
You must get to the Forum Administration section to create a forum, so click the Forums tab.
The Forum Administration Index is where you can manage forums on your site. Along with being
able to create forums, you are also able to create subforums. Subforums are forums that are located
in a parent forum in a hierachy. For more information about subforums, see the administration guide
on subforums.
Find the Create new forum button on the right side of the page. Type in the name of the forum you
wish in the textbox located directly to the left of this button. For example, if the forum name was to be
Test, in the text box put Test. Once you are done, click the Create new forum button create the forum.
You should see a page headed with the text "Create new forum :: Test". You can change options for
your forum; for example you can set what forum image the forum can use, if it's a category, or what
6
Quick Start Guide
forum rules text will belong to the forum. You should type up a brief description for the forum as users
will be able to figure out what the forum is for.
Creating a new forum.
The default settings are usually good enough to get your new forum up and running; however, you may
change them to suit your needs. But there are three key forum settings that you should pay attention
to. The Parent Forum setting allows you to choose which forum your new forum will belong to. Be
careful to what level you want your forum to be in. (The Parent Forum setting is important when
creating subforums. For more information on subforums, continue reading to the section on creating
subforums) The "Copy Permissions" setting allows you to copy the permissions from an existing forum
to your new forum. Use this if you want to keep permissions constant. The forum style setting allows
you to set which style your new forum will display. Your new forum can show a different style to
another.
Once you're done configuring the settings of your new forum, scroll to the bottom of the page and click
the Submit button to create your forum and it's settings. If your new forum was created successfully,
the screen will show you a success message.
If you wish to set permissions for the forum (or if you do not click on anything), you will see the
forum permissions screen. If you do not want to (and want to use the default permissions for your new
forum), click on the Back to previous page link. Otherwise, continue and set each setting to what you
wish. Once you are done, click the Apply all Permissions button at the bottom of the page. You will
see the successful forum permissions updated screen if it worked.
Important
If you do not set any permissions on this forum it will not be accessible to anyone (including
yourself).
7
Quick Start Guide
You have successfully updated your forum permissions and set up your new forum. To create more
forums, follow this general procedure again.
For more information on setting permissions, see Section 1.5, “Setting permissions”
1.5. Setting permissions

dhn
After you created your first forum, you have to decide who has access to it and what your users are
allowed to do and what not. This is what Permissions are for. You can disallow guests to post or hand
out moderating powers, for instance. Almost every aspect of user interaction with phpBB3 Olympus
can be adjusted with permissions.
1.5.1. Permission types

There are four different types of permissions:
1. User/Group permissions (global) - e.g. disallow changing avatar
2. Administrator permissions (global) - e.g. allow to manage forums
3. Moderator permissions (global or local) - e.g. allow to lock topics or ban users (only global)
4. Forum permissions (local) - e.g. allow to see a forum or post topics
Each permission type consists of a different set of permissions and can apply either locally or globally.
A global permission type is set for your whole bulletin board. If you disallow one of your users to send
Private Messages, for instance, you have to do this with the global user permission. Administrator
permission are also global.
Figure 1.5. Global and local permissions
Global and local permissions
On the other hand local permissions do only apply to specific forums. So if you disallow someone to
post in one forum, for instance, it will not impact the rest of the board. The user will still be able to
post in any other forum he has the local permission to post.
8
Quick Start Guide
You can appoint moderators either globally or locally. If you trust some of your users enough, you can
make them Global Moderators. They can moderate all forums they have access to with the permissions
you assign to them. Compared to that, local moderators will only be able to moderate the number of
forums you select for them. They can also have different moderator permissions for different forums.
While they are able to delete topics in one forum, they may not be allowed to do it in another. Global
moderators will have the same permissions for all forums.
1.5.2. Setting forum permissions

To set the permissions for your new forum we need the local Forum Based Permissions. First you have
to decide how you want to set the permissions. If you want to set them for a single group or user, you
should use the Group or User Forum Permissions. They will allow you to select one group or user,
and then select the forums you want to set the permissions for.
But for this Quick Start Guide we will concentrate on the Forum Permissions. Instead of selecting a
user or group, you select the forums you want to change first. You can select them either by selecting
the forums manually in the top list, or by single forum and single forum plus subforums respectively
in the lower pull down menus. Submit will bring you to the next page.
Figure 1.6. Select Groups
Select Groups or Users to set Forum Permissions
The Forum Permissions page shows you two columns, one for users and one for groups to select (see
Figure 1.6, “Select Groups”). The top lists on both columns labelled as Manage Users and Manage
Groups show users and groups that already have permissions on at least one of your selected forums
set. You can select them and change their permissions with the Edit Permissions button, or use Remove
Permissions to remove them which leads to them not having permissions set, and therefore not being
able to see the forum or have any access to it (unless they have access to it through another group).
The bottom boxes allow you to add new users or groups, that do not currently have permissions set
on at least one of your selected forums.
To add permissions for groups, select one or more groups either in the Add Groups list (this works
similar with users, but if you want to add new users, you have to type them in manually in the Add
9
Quick Start Guide
Users text box or use the Find a member function). Add Permissions will take you to the permission
interface. Each forum you selected is listed, with the groups or users to change the permissions for
below them.
There are two ways to assign permissions: You can set them manually or use predefined Permission
Roles for a simpler but less powerful way. You can switch between both approaches any time you want.
You can skip the manual permission introduction and jump directly into the section on "Permissions
Roles", if you are eager to get everything running as quickly as possible. But remember that permission
roles do only offer a small bit of what the permission system has to offer and we believe that to be a
good Olympus administrator, you have to fully grasp permissions.
Both ways only differ in the way you set them. They both share the same interface.
1.5.3. Manual permissions

This is the most important aspect of permissions. You need to understand this to properly work with
them. There are three different values that a permission can take:
• YES will allow a permission setting unless it is overwritten by a NEVER.
• NO will be disallow a permission setting unless it is overwritten by a YES.
• NEVER will completely disallow a permission setting for a user. It cannot be overwritten by a YES.
The three values are important as it is possible for a user to have more than one permissions for the
same setting through multiple groups. If the user is a member of the default "Registered Users" group
and a custom group called "Senior Users" you created for your most dedicated members, both could
have different permissions for seeing a forum. In this example you want to make a forum called "Good
old times" only available to the "Senior Users" group, but don't want all "Registered Users" to see it.
You will of course set the Can see forum permission to Yes for "Senior Users". But do not set the
permission to Never for "Registered Users". If you do this, "Senior Members" will not see the forum
as the No overrides any Yes they have . Leave the setting at No instead. No is a weak Never that a
Yes can override.
Figure 1.7. Manual permissions
Setting permissions manually
1.5.4. Permissions roles

phpBB3 Olympus ships with a number of default permission roles, that offer you a wide variety of
options for setting permissions. Instead of having to check each radio button manually, you can select
10
Quick Start Guide
a predefined role in the Rolepull down list. Each role has a detailed description, that will pop up when
you hover your mouse over it. Submit your changes with Apply Permissions or Apply All Permissions
when you are satisfied with them. That will set the permissions and you are done.
Figure 1.8. Permission roles
Setting permissions with roles
But permission roles are not only a quick and easy way to set permissions, they are also a powerful
tool for experienced board administrators to manage permissions on bigger boards. You can create
your own roles and edit existing ones. Roles are dynamic, so when you edit a role, all groups and users
that have the role assigned will automatically be updated.
1.5.5. Assign moderators to forums

zeroK
A quite common use case for permissions and roles are forum moderation. phpBB3 makes assigning
users as moderators of forums really simple.
As you might have already guessed, moderation of specific forums is a local setting, so you can find
Forum Moderators in the section for Forum Based Permissions. First of all, you will have to select for
forum (or forums) you want to assign new moderators to. This form is divided into three areas. In the
first one, you can select multiple forums (select multiple by holding down the CTRL button on your
keyboard, or cmd (under MacOS X)), where the moderator settings you will set in the following form
will only apply to these exact forums. The second area allows you to select only one forum but all the
following settings will apply not only to this forum but also all its subforums. Finally, the third area's
selection will only affect exactly this forum.
After selecting the forums and hitting Submit, you will be greeted by a form you should already be
familiar with from one of the previous sections in this guide: Figure 1.6, “Select Groups”. Here you
can select the users or groups that should get some kind of moderation power over the selected forums.
So go ahead: Select some users and/or groups and hit the Set Permissions button.
In the next form you can choose, what moderator permissions the selected users/groups should receive.
First of all, there are some predefined roles from which you can select:
11
Quick Start Guide
Standard Moderator A Standard Moderator can approve or disapprove, edit and delete posts,
delete or close reports, but not necessarily change the owner of a post.
This kind of moderator can also issue warnings and view details of a
post.
Simple Moderator A Simple Moderator can edit posts and close and delete reports and can
also view post details.
Queue Moderator As a Queue Moderator, you can only approve or disapprove posts that
landed in the moderator queue and edit posts.
Full Moderator Full Moderators can do everything moderation-related; they can even
ban users.
Figure 1.9. The Forum Moderator's Permissions
Set the moderator's permissions
When you're done simply hit Apply all Permissions. All the permissions mentioned here can also be
selected from the right side of the form to give you more granular options.
1.5.6. Setting global permissions

zeroK
Local Permissions are too local for you? Well, then phpBB3 has something to offer for you, too:
Global Permissions:
1. Users Permissions
2. Groups Permissions
3. Administrators
4. Global Moderators
In "User Permissions" and "Group Permissions" you can allow and disallow features like attachments,
signatures and avatars for specific users and user groups. Note that some of these settings only matter,
if the respective feature is enabled in the "Board Features" (see Section 1.3.2, “Board Features” for
details).
12
Quick Start Guide
Under "Administrators" you can give users or groups administrator privileges like the ability to
manage forums or change user permissions. For details on these settings please read the Section 3.7,
“Permission Overload”.
The "Global Moderators" form offers you the same settings as the forum specific form (described in
Section 1.5.5, “Assign moderators to forums”) but applies to all forums on your baord.
1.6. Obtaining support

The phpBB Team [http://www.phpbb.com/about/] provides many options for users to find support for
their phpBB install. In addition to this very documentation, the support forum on www.phpbb.com
[http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewforum.php?f=46] has many answers that users like you are
searching for. Therefore, we highly recommend the use of the search feature before asking a new
question. If you are unable to find an answer, feel free to post a new topic asking for help. Be sure to be
descriptive when explaining your problem! The more we know about what is happening, the faster we
can provide you with the answer you are looking for. Be sure to fill out the Support Request Template
[http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=543515] with the information it asks for.
In addition to the support forum on www.phpbb.com, we provide a Knowledge Base [http://

www.phpbb.com/kb/] for users to read and submit articles on common answers to questions. Our
community has taken a lot of time in writing these articles, so be sure to check them out.
We provide realtime support in #phpBB [irc://irc.phpbb.com/phpbb] on the popular Open Source IRC
network, Freenode [http://www.freenode.net/]. You can typically find someone from each of the teams
in here, as well as fellow users who are more than happy to help you out. Be sure to read the IRC rules
[http://www.phpbb.com/support/irc/] before joining the channel, as we have a few basic netiquette
rules that we ask users to follow. At any given time, there can be as many as 60 users, if not more in
the channel, so you are almost certain to find someone there to help you. However, it is important that
you read and follow the IRC rules as people may not answer you. An example of this is that oftentimes
users come in to the channel and ask if anybody is around and then end up leaving 30 seconds later
before someone has the chance to answer. Instead, be sure to ask your question and wait. As the saying
goes, "don't ask to ask, just ask!"
English is not your native language? Not a problem! We also provide an International Support page
[http://www.phpbb.com/support/intl/] with links to various websites that provide support in Espanol,
Deutsch, Francais, and more.
13
Chapter 2. Upgrade Guide
$Id: upgrade_guide.xml 240 2008-12-19 17:06:29Z toonarmy $
Do you want to upgrade your phpBB2 forum to version 3.0? This chapter will tell and show you how it is done.
2.1. Upgrading from 2.0 to 3.0

Techie-Micheal
The upgrade process from 2.0.x to 3.0.x is a straight-forward, simplified process.
The process is in the form of a PHP file, similar to the update file found in phpBB 2.0.x. The file will
take you through wizard-like screens until your phpBB is running 3.0.x.
Warning: Be sure to backup both the database and the files before attempting to upgrade.
14
Chapter 3. Administration Guide
$Id: admin_guide.xml 266 2009-02-08 13:23:36Z ameeck $
This chapter describes the phpBB 3.0 admin controls.
3.1. The Administration Control Panel

dhn
Even more so than its predecessor, phpBB 3.0 "Olympus" is highly configurable. You can tune, adjust,
or turn off almost all features. To make this load of settings as accessible as possible, we redesigned
the Administration Control Panel (ACP) completely.
Click on the Administration Control Panel link on the bottom of the default forum style to visit the
ACP.
The ACP has seven different sections by default with each containing a number of subsections. We
will discuss each section in this Admin Guide.
Figure 3.1. Administration Control Panel Index
The Administration Control Panel Index, the home of managing your phpBB board. Administration
functions are grouped into eight different categories: General, Forums, Posting, Users and Groups,
Permissions, Styles, Maintenance, and System. Each category is a tab located at the top of the page.
Specific functions of the category you're in can be found in the left-hand sidebar of each page.
15
Administration Guide
3.2. General Configuration and Front Page

dhn
The General section is the first screen you see each time you log into the ACP. It contains some basic
statistics and information about your forum. It also has a subsection called Quick Access. It provides
quick access to some of the admin pages that are frequently used, like User Management or Moderator
Logs. We will discuss its items later in their specific sections.
We will concentrate on the other three subsections: Board Configuration, Client Communication, and
Server Configuration.
3.2.1. Board Configuration

dhn
This subsection contains items to adjust the overall features and settings of the forum.
3.2.1.1. Attachment Settings

dhn
One of the many new features in phpBB 3.0 is Attachments. Attachments are files that can be attached
to posts, like e-mail attachments. Certain restrictions, set by the board administrator, control what
users can attach. You can set these restrictions via the Attachment Settings page.
For more information, see the section on configuring your board's attachment settings.
3.2.1.2. Board Settings

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
The Board Settings allow you to change many settings that govern your board. These settings include
important things such as the name of your forum! There are two main groups of board settings: the
general Board Settings, and Warnings settings.
Board Settings
• The very first board setting you can edit is perhaps the most important setting of them all: the name
of your board. Your users identify your board with this name. Put the name of your site into the
Site Name text field and it will be shown on the header of the default style; it will be the prefix to
the window title of your browser.
• The Site Description is the slogan or tagline of your forum. It will appear below the Site Name on
the default style's header.
• If you need to close your whole forum to do maintenance work, for instance, you can do it by
using the Disable Board switch. To temporarily disable your board, selectYes. This will keep any
members of your forum who are not administrators or moderators from accessing your board. They
will either see a default message instead of the forum, or a message that you create. You can add
your own custom message that will be displayed when your board is disabled in the text box below
the Disable board radio buttons. Administrators and moderators will still be able to browse forums
and use their specific control panels when the board is disabled.
• You also need to set the Default Language of your board. This is the language that guests will see
when they visit your board. You can allow registered users to choose other languages. By default,
16
the only language installed is English [GB], but you can download more languages on the phpBB
website [http://www.phpbb.com/languages] and install them on your board. Find out more about
working with languages in the section on Language Pack configuration.
• You can also configure your board's default date format. phpBB3 has a few basic date formats that
you can set your board to use; if these are not sufficient and you would like to customise your
board's date format, choose Custom from the Date format selection menu. Then, in the text box
besides it, type in the format you would like to use. This is the same as the PHP date() function
[http://www.php.net/date].
• Along with setting your board's default date format, you can also set your board's preferred
timezone. The timezones available in the System timezone selection menu are all based on relative
UTC (for most intents and purposes, it is GMT, or Greenwich Mean Time) times. You may also
choose whether or not your board utilises Daylight Savings Time by selecting the appropriate radio
button next to the Enable Daylight Savings time option.
• You can also set your board's default style. The board will appear to your guests and members in the
Default Style. In the standard phpBB installation, two styles are available: prosilver and subsilver2.
You can either allow users to select another style than the default by selecting No in the Override
User Style setting or disallow it. Please visit the styles section to find out how to add new styles
and where to find some.
Warnings
• Moderators can send warnings to users that break the forum rules. The value of Warning Duration
defines the number of days a warning is valid until it expires. All positive integers are valid values.
For more about warnings, please read Section 4.5, “The Moderator Control Panel (MCP)”.
3.2.1.3. Board Features

dhn
Through the Board Features section, you can enable or disable several features board-wide. Note
that any feature you disable here will not be available on your forum, even if you give your users
permissions to use them.
3.2.1.4. Avatar Settings

dhn
Avatars are generally small, unique images a user can associate with themselves. Depending on the
style, they are usually displayed below the user name when viewing topics. Here you can determine
how users can define their avatars.
There are three different ways a user can add an avatar to their profile. The first way is through an
avatar gallery you provide. Note that there is no avatar gallery available in a default phpBB installation.
The Avatar Gallery Path is the path to the gallery images. The default path is images/avatars/gallery.
The gallery folder does not exist in the default installation so you have to add it manually if you want
to use it.
The images you want to use for your gallery need to be in a folder inside the gallery path. Images
directly in the gallery path won't be recognised. There is also no support for sub folders inside the
gallery folder.
The second approach to avatars is through Remote Avatars. This are simply images linked from
another website. Your members can add a link to the image they want to use in their profile. To give
you some control over the size of the avatars you can define the minimum and maximum size of the
images. The disadvantage of Remote Avatars is that you are not able to control the file size.
17
The third approach to avatars is through Avatar Uploading. Your members can upload an image form
their local system which will be stored on your server. They will be uploaded into the Avatar Storage
Path you can define. The default path is images/avatars/upload and does already exist after installation.
You have to make sure that it is server-writable. The file format of the images has to be either gif, jpeg,
or png, and the avatars will be automatically checked for their file and image size after the upload.
You can adjust the Maximum Avatar File Size and images that are bigger than the allowed value will
be discarded.
3.2.1.5. Private Messaging

dhn
Private Messages are a way for registered members to communicate privately through your board
without the need to fall back to e-mail or instant messaging.
You can disable this feature with the Private Messaging setting. This will keep the feature turned off
for the whole board. You can disable private messages for selected users or groups with Permissions.
Please see the Permissions section for more information.
Olympus allows users to create own personal folders to organise Private Messages. The Max Private
Messages Per Box setting defines the number of message folders they can create. The default value
is 4. You can disable the feature with setting value to 0.
Max Private Messages Per Box sets the number of Private Messages each folder can contain. The
default value is 50, Set it to 0 to allow unlimited messages per folder.
If you limit the number of messages users can store in their folders, you need to define a default action
that is taken once a folder is full. This can be changed in the "Full Folder Default Action" list. The
oldest message gets deleted or the new message will be held back until the folder has place for it. Note
that users will be able to choose this for themselves in their PM options and this setting only changes
the default value they face. This will not override the action a user chosen.
When sending a private message, it is still possible to edit the message until the recipient reads it.
After a sent private message has been read, editing the message is no longer possible. To limit the
time a message can be edited before the recipient reads it, you can set the Limit Editing Time. The
default value is 0, which allows editing until the message is read. Note that you can disallow users or
groups to edit Private Messages after sending through Permissions. If the permission to edit messages
is denied, it will override this setting.
The General Options allow you to further define the functionality of Private Messages on your board.
• Allow Mass PMs: enables the sending of Private Messages to multiple recipients. This feature is
enabled by default. Disabling it will also disallow sending of Private Messages to groups.
Tip
See the Groups section for information on how to enable the ability to send a message to
a whole group.
• By default, BBCode and Smilies are allowed in Private Messages.
Tip
Even if enabled, you can still disallow users or groups to use BBCode and Smilies in Private
Messages through Permissions.
• We don't allow attachments by default. Further settings for attachments in Private Messages are in
the Attachment Settings. There you can define the number of attachments per message for instance.
18
3.2.2. Client communication

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
Other than its own authentication system, phpBB3 supports other client communications. phpBB3
supports authentication plugins (by default, the Apache, native DB, and LDAP plugins), email, and
Jabber. Here, you can configure all of these communication methods. The following are subsections
describing each client communication method.
3.2.2.1. Authentication
MennoniteHobbit
Unlike phpBB2, phpBB3 offers support for authentication plugins. By default, the Apache, DB, and
LDAP plugins are supported. Before switching from phpBB's native authentication system (the DB
method) to one of these systems, you must make sure that your server supports it. When configuring
the authentication settings, make sure that you only fill in the settings that apply to your chosen
authentication method (Apache or LDAP).
Authentication
• Select an authentication method: Choose your desired authentication method from the selection
menu.
• LDAP server name: If you are using LDAP, this is the name or IP address of the LDAP server.
• LDAP user: phpBB will connect to the LDAP server as this specified user. If you want to use
anonymous access, leave this value blank.
• LDAP password: The password for the LDAP user specified above. If you are using anonymous
access, leave this blank.
Important
This password will be stored as plain text in the database; it will be visible to everybody
who can access your database.
• LDAP base dn: The distinguished name, which locates the user information.
• LDAP uid: The key under which phpBB will search for a given login identity.
• LDAP email attribute: this to the name of your user entry email attribute (if one exists) in order to
automatically set the email address for new users. If you leave this empty, users who login to your
board for the first time will have an empty email address.
3.2.2.2. Email settings

MennoniteHobbit
phpBB3 is capable of sending out emails to your users. Here, you can configure the information that is
used when your board sends out these emails. phpBB3 can send out emails by using either the native,
PHP-based email service, or a specified SMTP server. If you are not sure if you have an SMTP server
available, use the native email service. You will have to ask your hoster for further details. Once you
are done configuring the email settings, click Submit.
Note
Please ensure the email address you specify is valid, as any bounced or undeliverable
messages will likely be sent to that address.
19
General Settings
• Enable board-wide emails: If this is set to disabled, no emails will be sent by the board at all.
• Users send email via board:: If this is set to enabled, a form allowing users to send emails to each
other via the board will be displayed, rather than an email address.
• Email function name: If you are using the native, PHP-based email service, this should be the name
of the email function. This is most likely going to be "mail".
• Email package size: This is the number of emails that can be sent in one package. This is useful for
when you want to send mass emails, and you have a large amount of users.
• Contact email address: This is the address that your board's email feedback will be sent to. This is
also the address that will populate the "From" and "Reply-to" addresses in all emails sent by your
board.
• Return email address: This is the return address that will be put on all emails as the technical contact
email address. It will always populate the "Return-Path" and "Sender" addresses in all emails sent
by your board.
• Email signature: This text will be attached at the end of all emails sent by your board.
• Hide email addresses: If you want to keep email addresses completely private, set this value to Yes.
SMTP Settings
• Use SMTP server for email: Select Yes if you want your board to send emails via an SMTP server.
If you are not sure that you have an SMTP server available for use, set this to No; this will make your
board use the native, PHP-based email service, which in most cases is the safest available option.
• SMTP server address: The address of the SMTP server.
• SMTP server port: The port that the SMTP server is located on. In most cases, SMTP servers are
located on port 25; do not change this value if you are unsure about this.
• Authentication method for SMTP: This is the authentication method that your board will use when
connecting to the specified SMTP server. This only applies if an SMTP username and password are
set, and required by the server. The available methods are PLAIN, LOGIN, CRAM-MD5, DIGEST-
MD5, and POP-BEFORE-SMTP. If you are unsure about which authentication method you must
use, ask your hoster for more information.
• SMTP username: The username that phpBB will use when connecting to the specified SMTP server.
You should only fill this in if the SMTP server requires it.
• SMTP password: The password for the above specified username that phpBB will use when
connecting to the specified SMTP server. You should only fill this in if the SMTP server requires it.
3.2.2.3. Jabber settings

MennoniteHobbit
phpBB3 also has the ability to allow users to communicate via Jabber. Your board can send instant
messages and board notices via Jabber, too. Here, you can enable and control exactly how your board
will use Jabber for communication.
Note
Some Jabber servers include gateways or transports which allow you to contact users on other
networks. Not all servers offer all transports and changes in protocols can prevent transports
20
from operating. Note that it may take several seconds to update Jabber account details, so do
not stop the script until it has finished!
Jabber settings
• Enable Jabber: Set this to Enabled if you want to enable the use of Jabber for messaging and
notifications.
• Jabber server: The Jabber server that your board will use. For a list of public servers, see
jabber.org [http://www.jabber.org]'s list of open, public servers [http://www.jabber.org/user/
publicservers.shtml].
• Jabber port: The port that the Jabber server specified above is located on. Port 5222 is the most
common port; if you are unsure about this, leave this value alone.
• Jabber username: The Jabber username that your board will use when connecting to the specified
Jabber server. If the username you specify is unregistered on the server, phpBB3 will attempt to
register the username for you.
• Jabber password: The password for the Jabber username specified above. If the Jabber username is
unregistered, phpBB3 will attempt to register the above Jabber username, with this specified value
as the password.
• Jabber resource: This is the location of the particular connection that you can specify. For example,
"board" or "home".
• Jabber package size: This is the number of messages that can be sent in one package. If this is set
to "0", messages will be sent immediately and is will not be queued for later sending.
3.2.3. Server configuration

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
As an administrator of a board, being able to fine-tune the settings that your phpBB board uses for the
server is a must. Configuring your board's server settings is very easy. There are five main categories of
server settings: Cookie settings, Server settings, Security settings, Load settings, and Search settings.
Properly configuring these settings will help your board not only function, but also work efficiently
and as intended. The following subsections will outline each server configuration category. Once you
are done with updating settings in each setting, remember to click Submit to apply your changes.
3.2.3.1. Cookie settings

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
Your board uses cookies all the time. Cookies can store information and data; for example, cookies
are what enable users to automatically login to the board when they visit it. The settings on this page
define the data used to send cookies to your users' browsers.
Warning
When editing your board's cookie settings, do so with caution. Incorrect settings can cause
such consequences as preventing your users from logging in.
To edit your board's cookie settings, locate the Cookie Settings form. The following are four settings
you may edit:
21
Cookie Settings
• Cookie domain: This is the domain that your board runs on. Do not include the path that phpBB is
installed in; only the domain itself is important here.
• Cookie name: This is the name that will be assigned to the cookie when it is sent to your users'
browsers and stored. This should be a unique cookie name that will not conflict with any other
cookies.
• Cookie path: This is the path that the cookie will apply to. In most cases, this should be left as "/",
so that the cookie can be accessible across your site. If for some reason you must restrict the cookie
to the path that your board is installed in, set the value to the path of your board.
• Cookie secure: If your board is accessible via SSL, set this to Enabled. If the board is not accessible
via SSL, then leave this value set to Disabled, otherwise server errors will result during redirections.
When you are done editing your board's server settings, click Submit to submit your changes.
3.2.3.2. Server settings

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
On this page, you can define server and domain-dependent settings. There are three main categories of
server settings: Server Settings, Path Settings, and Server URL Settings. The following describes each
server settings category and the corresponding settings in more detail. When you are done configuring
your board's server settings, click Submit to submit your changes.
Warning
When editing your board's server settings, do so with caution. Incorrect settings can cause
such consequences as emails being sent out with incorrect links and/or information, or even
the board being inaccessible.
The Server Settings form allows you to set some settings that phpBB will use on the server level. The
only available option at this time is Enable GZip Compression. Setting this value will enable GZip
compression on your server. This means that all content generated by the server will be compressed
before it is sent to users' browsers, if the users' browsers support it. Though this can reduce network
traffic/bandwidth used, this will also increase the server and CPU load, on both the user's and server's
sides.
Next, the Path Settings form allows you to set the various paths that phpBB uses for certain board
content. For default installations, the default settings should be sufficient. The following are the four
values that you can set:
Path Settings
• Smilies storage path: This is the path to the directory, relative to the directory that your board is
installed in, that your smilies are located in.
• Post icons storage path: This is the path to the directory, relative to the directory that your board is
installed in, that the topic icons are stored in.
• Extension group icons storage path: This is the path to the directory, relative to the directory that
your board is installed in, that the icons for the attachments extension groups.
The last category of server settings is Server URL Settings. The Server URL Settings category contains
settings that allow you to configure the actual URL that your board is located at, as well as the server
22
protocol and port number that the board will be accessed to. The following are the five settings you
may edit:
Server URL Settings
• Force server URL settings: If for some reason the default settings for the server URL are incorrect,
then you can force your phpBB board to use the server URL settings you specify below by selecting
the Yes radio button.
• Server protocol: This is the server protocol (http:// or https://, for example) that your board uses, if
the default settings are forced. If this value is empty or the above Force server URL settings setting
is disabled, then the protocol will be determined by the cookie secure settings.
• Domain name: This is the name of the domain that your board runs on. Include "www" if applicable.
Again, this value is only used if the server URL settings are forced.
• Server port: This is the port that the server is running on. In most cases, a value of "80" is the port
to set. You should only change this value if, for some reason, your server runs on a different port.
Again, this value is only used if the server URL settings are forced.
• Script path: This is the directory where phpBB is installed, relative to the domain name. For
example, if your board was located at www.example.com/phpBB3/, the value to set for your script
path is "/phpBB3". Again, this value is only used if the server URL settings are forced.
When you are done editing your board's server settings, click Submit to submit your changes.
3.2.3.3. Security settings

MennoniteHobbit
Here, on the Security settings page, you are able to manage security-related settings; namely, you
can define and edit session and login-related settings. The following describes the available security
settings that you can manage. When you are done configuring your board's security settings, click
Submit to submit your changes.
Allow persistent logins This determines whether users can automatically login to your
board when they visit it.
The available options are Yes and No. Choosing Yes will
enable automatic logins.
Persistent login key expiration This is the set number of days that login keys will last before
length (in days) they expire and are removed from the database.
You may enter an integer in the text box located to the left of the
word Days. This integer is the number of days for the persistent
login key expiration. If you would like to disable this setting
(and thereby allow use of login keys indefinitely), enter a "0"
into the text box.
Session IP validation This determines how much of the users' IP address is used to
validate a session.
There are four settings available: All, A.B.C, A.B, and None.
The All setting will compare the complete IP address. The
A.B.C setting will compare the first x.x.x of the IP address. The
A.B setting will compare the first x.x of the IP address. Lastly,
selecting None will disable IP address checking altogether.
23
Validate browser This enables the validation of the users' browsers for each
session. This can help improve the users' security.
enable this browser validation.
Validate X_FORWARDED_FOR This setting controls whether sessions will only be continued if
header the sent X_FORWARDED_FOR header is the same as the one
sent with the previous request. Bans will be checked against IP
addresses in the X_FORWARDED_FOR header too.
enable the validation of the X_FORWARDED_FOR header.
Check IP against DNS Blackhole You are also able to check the users' IP addresses against
List: DNS blackhole lists. These lists are blacklists that list
bad IP addresses. Enabling this setting will allow your
board to check your users' IP addresses and compare them
against the DNS blackhole lists. Currently, the DNS blacklist
services on the sites spamcop.net [http://www.spamcop.net],
dsbl.org [http://www.dsbl.org], and spamhaus.org [http://
www.spamhaus.org].
Check email domain for valid MX It is also possible to attempt to validate emails used by your
record board's users. If this setting is enabled, emails that are entered
when users register or change the email in their profile will
be checked for a valid MX record [http://www.wikipedia.org/
wiki/MX_record].
enable the checking of MX records for emails.
Password complexity Usually, more complex passwords fare well; they are better
than simple passwords. To help your users try to make their
account as secure as possible, you also have the option of
requiring that they use a password as complex as you define.
This requirement will apply to all users registering a new
account, or when existing users change their current passwords.
There are four options in the selection menu. No requirements

will disable password complexity checking completely. The
Must be mixed case setting requires that your users' passwords
have both lowercase and uppercase letters in their password.
The Must contain alphanumerics setting requires that your
users' password include both letters from the alphabet and
numbers. Lastly, the Must contain symbols setting will require
that your users' passwords include symbols.
Note
For each password complexity requirement, the
setting(s) above it in the selection menu will
also apply. For example, selecting Must contain
alphanumerics will require your users' passwords to
include not only alphanumeric characters, but also
have both lowercase and uppercase letters.
Force password change It is always ideal to change passwords once in a while. With
this setting, you can force your users to change their passwords
after a set number of days that their passwords have been used.
24
Only integers can be entered in the text box, which is located

next to the Days label. This integer is the number of days that,
after which, your users will have to change their passwords. If
you would like to disable this feature, enter a value of "0".
Maximum number of login It is also possible to limit the number of attempts that your users
attempts can have to try to login. Setting a specific limit will enable this
feature. This can be useful in temporarily preventing bots or
other users from trying to log into other users' accounts.
Only integers can be entered for this setting. The number

entered it the maximum number of times a user can attempt to
login to an account before having to confirm his login visually,
with the visual confirmation.
Allow PHP in templates Unlike phpBB2, phpBB3 allows the use of PHP code in the
template files themselves, if enabled. If this option is enabled,
PHP and INCLUDEPHP statements will be recognized and
parsed by the template engine.
3.2.3.4. Load settings

MennoniteHobbit
On particularly large boards, it may be necessary to manage certain load-related settings in order to
allow your board to run as smoothly as possible. However, even if your board isn't excessively active,
it is still important to be able to adjust your board's load settings. Adjusting these settings properly can
help reduce the amount of processing required by your server. Once you are done editing any of the
server load-related settings, remember to click Submit to actually submit and apply your changes.
The first group of settings, General Settings, allows you to control the very basic load-related settings,
such as the maximum system load and session lengths. The following describes each option in detail.
General settings
• Limit system load: This option enables you to control the maximum load that the server can undergo
before the board will automatically go offline. Specifically, if the system’s one-minute load average
exceeds this value, the board will automatically go offline. A value of "1.0" equals about 100%
utilisation of one processor. Note that this option will only work with *nix-based servers that have
this information accessible. If your board is unable to get the load limit, this value will reset itself
to "0". All positive numbers are valid values for this option. (For example, if your server has two
processors, a setting of 2.0 would represent 100% server utilisation of both processors.) Set this to
"0" if you do not want to enable this option.
• Session length: This is the amount of time, in seconds, before your users' sessions expire. All positive
integers are valid values. Set this to "0" if you want session lengths to last indefinitely.
• Limit sessions: It is also possible to control the maximum amount of sessions your board will handle
before your board will go offline and be temporarily disabled. Specifically, if the number of sessions
your board is serving exceeds this value within a one-minute period, the board will go offline and
be temporarily disabled. All positive integers are valid values. Set this to "0" if you want to allow
an unlimited amount of sessions.
• View online time span: This is the number of minutes after which inactive users will not appear in
the Who is Online listings. The higher the number given, the greater the processing power required
to generate the listing. All positive integers are valid values, and indicate the number of minutes
that the time span will be.
25
The second group of settings, General Options, allows you to control whether certain options are
available for your users on your board. The following describes each option further.
General options
• Enable dotted topics: Topics in which a poster has already posted in will see dotted topic icons for
these topics. To enable this feature, select, Yes.
• Enable server-side topic marking: One of the many new features phpBB3 offers is server-side read
tracking. This is different from phpBB2, which only offered read tracking based on cookies. To
store read/unread status information in the database, as opposed to in a cookie, select Yes.
• Enable topic marking for guests: It is also possible to allow guests to have read/unread status
information. If you want your board to store read/unread status information for guests, select Yes.
If this option is disabled, posts will be displayed as "read" for guests.
• Enable online user listings: The online user listings can be displayed on your board's index, in each
forum, and on topic pages. If you want to enable this option and allow the online user listings to
be displayed, choose Yes.
• Enable online guest listings in viewonline: If you want to enable the display of guest user
information in the Who is Online section, choose Yes.
• Enable display of user online/offline information: This option allows you to control whether or not
online/offline status information for users can be displayed in profiles and on the topic view pages.
To enable this display option, choose Yes.
• Enable birthday listing: In phpBB3, birthdays is a new feature. To enable the listing of birthdays,
choose Yes.
• Enable display of moderators: Though it can be particularly useful to list the moderators who
moderate each forum, it is possible to disable this feature, which may help reduce the amount of
processing required. To enable the display of moderators, select Yes.
• Enable display of jumpbox: The jumpbox can be a useful tool for navigating throughout your board.
However, it is possible to control whether or not this is displayed. To display the jumpboxes, select
Yes.
• Show user's activity: This option controls whether or not the active topic/forum information
displayed in your users' profiles and UCP. If you want to show this user activity information, select
Yes. However, if your board has more than one million posts, it is recommended that you disable
this feature.
• Recompile stale templates: This option controls the recompilation of old templates. If this is enabled,
your board will check to see if there are updated templates on your filesystem; if there are, your
board will recompile the templates. Select Yes to enable this option.
Lastly, the last group of load settings relates to Custom Profile Fields, which are a new feature in
phpBB3. The following describes these options in detail.
Custom Profile Fields

• Allow styles to display custom profile fields in memberlist: This option allows you to control if
your board's style(s) can display the custom profile fields (if your board has any) in the memberlist.
To enable this, choose Yes.
• Display custom profile fields in user profiles: If you want to enable the display of custom profile
fields (if your board has any) in users' profiles, select Yes.
• Display custom profile fields in viewtopic: If you want to enable the display of custom profile fields
(if your board has any) in the topic view pages, choose Yes.
26
3.2.3.5. Search settings

MennoniteHobbit
Your board can be a well of information. Being able to effectively search through this information is
very important, especially if you want to reduce the amount of redundant topics are posted on your
board. Here, on the Search settings page, you can control what search backend your board's search
functionality will use for indexing posts and searching, and set various options related to it. There are
four main categories of search settings: General Search Settings, Search Backend, Fulltext mysql, and
Fulltext native. The following describes each set of search settings in detail.
The first group of search settings are general and user-facing, meaning that they concern the users
who use the search functionality directly.
General Search Settings

• Enable search facilities: Setting this option to Yes will enable the search functionality for your users;
member-searching functionality will also be enabled.
• User search flood interval: This value indicates the number of seconds that your users have to
wait between consecutive searches. This value is checked independently for each user. All positive
integers are valid values. If you want to disable checking for search intervals for users, set this value
to "0".
• Guest search flood interval: This is the number of seconds between searches that guest users must
wait. This value is checked independently for each guest. All positive integers are valid values. If
you want to disable checking for search intervals for guests, set this value to "0".
• Search page system load limit: You can also limit the amount of load your system will undergo
for searches. If the system load exceeds this value, your board will go offline and be temporarily
disabled. All numbers between 0 and 1.0 (inclusive) are valid values. A value of "1.0", for example,
represents about 100% utilisation of a single processor; if the system load exceeds this value, the
board will go offline. Note that this feature only works for *nix-based servers.
• Min author name characters: Users have to enter at least this many characters of the name when
performing a wildcard author search. If the author's username is shorter than this number, your users
can still search for the author's posts by entering the complete username. All positive integers are
valid values.
• Search result cache length: phpBB3 can also cache search results. These cached search results will
expire after this number of seconds. All positive integers are valid values. Set this value to "0" if
you want to disable search caching.
The next group of search settings actually only contains one setting: choosing what backend your
board's search facilities, if enabled, will use. The following details this option.
Search Backend
• Search backend: This option specifies the backend that your board's search facilities will use if it is
enabled. The backend is essentially the system/method that is actually responsible for conducting
searches based on the queries it is given. There are two available options: Fulltext mysql and Fulltext
native. Fulltext native is the default option, which is phpBB's own native fulltext search. Choosing
Fulltext mysql will make your board use mySQL's fulltext search as its search backend.
Note
If you choose to change your board's current search backend, you will have to create an index
of your board's content for the new search backend. If you know for sure that you're not going
to use the index that was used with your old, previously chosen search backend, you can also
27
delete it in order to free up some of your system's resources. To learn more about maintaining
your board's search indices, see Section 3.9.3, “Search Indexing”.
These next two groups of search settings concern each specific search backend individually. The
Fulltext mysql group is only an information box, and displays information regarding your board and
the mySQL fulltext option. The settings that are in the Fulltext Native group concern all of the settings
related to phpBB3's built-in, native search backend.
Fulltext mysql
• Support for non-latin UTF-8 characters using PCRE: This tells you if your system supports
searching for non-Latin UTF-8 characters. This is only available in PHP versions 4.4 and above,
and 5.1 and above. This is only relevant if you actually want your users to have the ability to search
for non-Latin characters.
• Support for non-latin UTF-8 characters using mbstring: If your system doesn't support UTF-8
characters using PCRE (as indicated in the setting above), the mySQL fulltext search backend will
try to use mbstring's regular expression engine. Again, this is only relevant if you actually want
your users to have the ability to seasrch for non-Latin characters.
Fulltext native
• Enable fulltext updating: This option allows you to control whether or not your board's search index
will update when posts are made. If you would like to enable this, choose Yes. Note that this is only
relevant if your board's search functionality is disabled entirely.
• Min characters indexed by search: You can also control the minimum number of characters words
must contain in order to be included in your board's search index. It is recommended that you not
set this too low in order to have a quality search index. All positive integers are valid values.
• Max characters indexed by search: Just like the above setting, you can also control the maximum
number of characters words must contain in order to be included in your board's search index. If a
word has more than this number of characters in it, it will not be included in the search index. All
positive integers are valid values.
• Common word threshold: Like phpBB2's stopwords feature, you can prevent the use of common
words that you specify. However, this feature is expanded upon in phpBB3. You can now control
the threshold that a word can have; this means that if a word is contained in more than a certain
percentage of posts on your board, it will be deemed as a common word, and will be ignored in
search queries. All positive integers are valid values, and represent the percentage of posts on your
board words can be contained in. If you would like to disable this threshold and thereby allow
searches using all words, even if they can be common, set this value to "0". This setting only applies
if your board has more than 100 posts.
3.3. Forum Admin

dhn
The Forum section offers the tools to manage your forums. Whether you want to add new forums, add
new categories, change forum descriptions, reorder or rename your forums, this is the place to go.
3.3.1. Explanation of forum types

dhn
In phpBB 3.0, there are three forum types. A forum can be a normal forum where people can post in,
a category that contains forums, or it can be a simple link.
Forum In a forum people can post their topics.
28
Link The forum list displays a forum link like a normal forum. But instead of linking to a
forum, you can point it to a URL of your choice. It can display a hit counter, which
shows how many times the link was clicked.
Category If you want to combine multiple forums or links for a specific topic, you can put them
inside a category. The forums will appear below the category title, clearly separated
from other categories. Users are not able to post inside categories.
3.3.2. Subforums
dhn
One of the many new features in phpBB 3.0 are subforums. Especially bulletin boards with a high
number of forums will benefit from this. In the simple flat category and forum approach in phpBB
2.0, all forums and categories were listed on the forum index. In Olympus you can now put as many
forums, links, or categories as you like inside other forums.
If you have a forum about pets for instance, you are able to put subforums for cats, dogs, or guinea pigs
inside it without making the parent "Pets" forum a category. In this example, only the "Pets" forum
will be listed on the index like a normal forum. Its subforums will appear as simple links below the
forum description (unless you disabled this).
Figure 3.2. Creating subforums
Creating subforums. In this example, the subforums titled "Cats" and "Dogs" belong in the "Pets"
parent forum. Pay close attention to the breadcrumbs on the page, located right above the list of the
subforums. This tells you exactly where you are in the forums hierarchy.
This system theoretically allows unlimited levels of subforums. You can put as many subforums inside
subforums as you like. However, please do not go overboard with this feature. On boards with five to
ten forums or less, it is not a good idea to use subforums. Remember, the less forums you have, the
more active your forum will appear. You can always add more forums later.
Read the section on forum management to find out how to create subforums.
3.3.3. Manage forums

dhn
Here you can add, edit, delete, and reorder the forums, categories, and links.
29
Figure 3.3. Managing Forums Icon Legend
This is the legend for the icons on the manage forums page. Each icon allows you to commit a certain
action. Pay close attention to which action you click on when managing your forums.
The initial Manage forums page shows you a list of your top level forums and categories. Note, that
this is not analogue to the forum index, as categories are not expanded here. If you want to reorder the
forums inside a category, you have to open the category first.
3.4. Posting Settings

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
Forums are nothing without content. Content is created and posted by your users; as such, it is very
important to have the right posting settings that control how the content is posted. You can reach this
section by clicking the Posting navigation tab.
The first page you are greeted with after getting to the Posting Settings section is BBCodes. The
other available subsections are divided into two main groups: Messages and Attachments. Private
message settings, Topic icons, Smilies, and Word censoring are message-related settings. Attachment
settings, Manage extensions, Manage extension groups, and Orphaned attachments are attachment-
related settings.
3.4.1. BBCodes
dhn
MennoniteHobbit
BBCodes are a special way of formatting posts, similar to HTML. phpBB 3.0 allows you to create
your own BBCodes very easily. On this page, you can see the custom BBCodes that currently exist.
Adding a BBCode is very easy. If done right, allowing users to use your new BBCode may be safer
than allowing them to use HTML code. To add a BBCode, click Add a new BBCode to begin. There
are four main things to consider when adding a BBCode: how you want your users to use the BBCode,
what HTML code the BBcode will actually use (the users will not see this), what short info message
you want for the BBCode, and whether or not you want a button for the new BBCode to be displayed
on the posting screen. Once you are done configuring all of the custom BBCode settings, click Submit
to add your new BBCode.
30
Figure 3.4. Creating BBCodes
Creating a new BBCode. In this example, we are creating a new [font] BBCode that will allow users
to specify the font face of the specified text.
In the BBCode Usage form, you can define how you want your users to use the BBCode. Let's say you
want to create a new font BBCode that will let your users pick a font to use for their text. An example
of what to put under BBCode Usage would be [font={TEXT1}]{TEXT2}[/font] This would
make a new [font] BBCode, and will allow the user to pick what font face they want for the text.
The user's text is represented by TEXT,while FONTNAME represents whatever font name the user
types in.
In the HTML Replacementform, you can define what HTML code your new BBCode will use to
actually format the text. In the case of making a new [font] BBCode, try <span style="font-
family: {TEXT1}">{TEXT2}<span> This HTML code will be used to actually format the
user's text.
The third option to consider when adding a custom BBCode is what sort of help message you want to
display to your users if they choose to use the new BBCode. Ideally, the helpline message is a short
note or tip for the user using the BBCode. This message will be displayed below the BBCode row
on the posting screens.
Note
If the next option described, Display on posting, isn't enabled, the helpline message will not
be displayed.
Lastly, when adding a new BBCode, you can decide whether or not you want an actual BBCode button
for your new BBCode to be displayed on the posting screens. If you want this, then check the Display
on posting checkbox.
3.4.2. Private message settings

MennoniteHobbit
31
Many users use your board's private messaging system. Here you can manage all of the default private
message-related settings. Listed below are the settings that you can change. Once you're done setting
the posting settings, click Submit to submit your changes.
General settings
• Private messaging: You can enable to disable your board's private messaging system. If you want
to enable it, select Yes.
• Max private message folders: This is the maximum number of new private message folders your
users can each create.
• Max private messages per box: This is the maximum number of private messages your users can
have in each of their folders.
• Full folder default action: Sometimes your users want to send each other a private message, but the
intended recipient has a full folder. This setting will define exactly what will happen to the sent
message. You can either set it so that an old message will be deleted to make room for the new
message, or the new messages will be held back until the recipient makes room in his inbox. Note
that the default action for the Sentbox is the deletion of old messages.
• Limit editing time: Users are usually allowed to edit their sent private messages before the recipient
reads it, even if it's already in their outbox. You can control the amount of time your users have
to edit sent private messages.
General options
• Allow sending of private messages to multiple users and groups: In phpBB 3.0, it is possible to send
a private message to more than user. To allow this, select Yes.
• Allow BBCode in private messages: Select Yes to allow BBCode to be used in private messages.
• Allow smilies in private messages: Select Yes to allow smilies to be used in private messages.
• Allow attachments in private messages: Select Yes to allow attachments to be used in private
messages.
• Allow signature in private messages: Select Yes to let your users include their signature in their
private messages..
• Allow print view in private messages: Another new feature in phpBB 3.0 is a printer-friendly view.
Select Yes to allow your users to view any of their PMs in print view.
• Allow forwarding in private messages: Select Yes to allow your users to forward private messages.
• Allow use of [img] BBCode tag: Select Yes if you want your users to be able to post inline images
in their private messages.
• Allow use of [flash] BBCode tag: Select Yes if you want your users to be able to post inline
Macromedia Flash objects in their private messages.
• Enable use of topic icons in private messages: Select Yes if you want to enable your users to include
topic icons with their private messages. (Topic icons are displayed next to the private messages'
titles.).
Tip
If you want to set any of the above numerical settings so that the setting will allow unlimited
amounts of the item, set the numerical setting to 0.
3.4.3. Topic icons

MennoniteHobbit
32
A new feature in phpBB3 is the ability to assign icons to topics. On this page, you can manage what
topic icons are available for use on your board. You can add, edit, delete, or move topic icons. The
Topic Icons form displays the topic icons currently installed on your board. You can add topic icons
manually, install a premade icons pack, export or download an icons pack file, or edit your currently
installed topic icons.
Your first option to add topic icons to your board is to use a premade icons pack. Icon packs have the
file extension pak. To install an icons pack, you must first download an icons pack. Upload the icon
files themselves and the pack file into the /images/icons/ directory. Then, click Install icons
pak. The Install icons pak form displays all of the options you have regarding topic icon installation.
Select the icon pack you wish to add (you may only install one icon pack at a time). You then have
the option of what to do with currently installed topic icons if the new icon pack has icons that may
conflict with them. You can either keep the existing icon(s) (there may be duplicates), replace the
matches (overwriting the icon(s) that already exist), or just delete all of the conflicting icons. Once
you have selected the proper option, click Install icons pak.
To add topic icon(s) manually, you must first upload the icons into the icons directory of your site.
Navigate to the Topic icons page. Click Add multiple icons, which is located in the Topic Icons form. If
you correctly uploaded your new desired topic icon(s) into the proper /images/icons/ directory,
you should see a row of settings for each new icon you uploaded. The following has a description
on what each field is for. Once you are done with adding the topic icon(s), click, Submit to submit
your additions.
• Icon image file: This column will display the actual icon itself.
• Icon location: This column will display the path that the icon is located in, relative to the /images/
icons/ directory.
• Icon width: This is the width (in pixels) you want the icon to be stretched to.
• Icon height: This is the height (in pixels) you want the icon to be stretched to.
• Display on posting: If this checkbox is checked, the topic icon will actually be displayed on the
posting screen.
• Icon order: You can also set what order that the topic icon will be displayed. You can either set the
topic icon to be the first, or after any other topic icon currently installed.
• Add: If you are satisfied with the settings for adding your new topic icon, check this box.
You may also edit your currently installed topic icons' settings. To do so, click Edit icons. You will
see the Icon configuration form. For more information regarding each field, see the above paragraph
regarding adding topic icons.
Lastly, you may also reorder the topic icons, edit a topic icon's settings, or remove a topic icon. To
reorder a topic icon, click the appropriate "move up" or "move down" icon. To edit a topic icon's
current settings, click the "settings" button. To delete a topic icon, click the red "delete" button.
3.4.4. Smilies
MennoniteHobbit
Smilies or emoticons are typically small, sometimes animated images used to convey an emotion or
feeling. You can manage the smilies on your board via this page. To add smilies, you have the option
to either install a premade smilies pack, or add smilies manually. Locate the Smilies form, which lists
the smilies currently installed on your board, on the page.
Your first option to add smilies to your board is to use a premade smilies pack. Smilies packs have
the file extension pak. To install a smilies pack, you must first download a smilies pack. Upload
the smilies files themselves and the pack file into the /images/smilies/ directory. Then, click
33
Install smilies pak. The Install smilies pak form displays all of the options you have regarding smilies
installation. Select the smilies pack you wish to add (you may only install one smilies pack at a time).
You then have the option of what to do with currently installed smilies if the new smilies pack has
icons that may conflict with them. You can either keep the existing smilies (there may be duplicates),
replace the matches (overwriting the smilies that already exist), or just delete all of the conflicting
smilies. Once you have selected the proper option, click Install smilies pak.
To add a smiley to your board manually, you must first upload the smilies into the /images/
smilies/ directory. Then, click on Add multiple smilies. From here, you can add a smilie and
configure it. The following are the settings you can set for the new smilies. Once you are done adding
a smiley, click Submit.
• Smiley image file: This is what the smiley actually looks like.
• Smiley location: This is where the smiley is located, relative to the /images/smilies/
directory.
• Smiley code: This is the text that will be replaced with the smiley.
• Emotion: This is the smiley's title.
• Smiley width: This is the width in pixels that the smiley will be stretched to.
• Smiley height: This is the height in pixels that the smiley will be stretched to.
• Display on posting: If this checkbox is checked, this smiley will actually be displayed on the posting
screen.
• Smiley order: You can also set what order that the smiley will be displayed. You can either set the
smiley to be the first, or after any other smiley currently installed.
• Add: If you are satisfied with the settings for adding your new smiley, check this box.
You may also edit your currently installed smilies' settings. To do so, click Edit smilies. You will see
the Smiley configuration form. For more information regarding each field, see the above paragraph
regarding adding smilies.
Lastly, you may also reorder the smilies, edit a smiley's settings, or remove a smiley. To reorder a
smiley, click the appropriate "move up" or "move down" icon. To edit a smiley's current settings, click
the "settings" button. To delete a smiley, click the red "delete" button.
3.4.5. Word censoring

MennoniteHobbit
On some forums, a certain level of appropriate, profanity-free speech is required. Like phpBB2,
phpBB3 continues to offer word censoring. Words that match the patterns set in the Word censoring
panel will automatically be censored with text that you, the admin, specify. To manage your board's
word censoring, click Word censoring.
To add a new word censor, click Add new word. There are two fields: Word and Replacement. Type in
the word that you want automatically censored in the Word text field. (Note that you can use wildcards
(*).) Then, type in the text you want the censored word to be replaced with in the Replacement text
field. Once you are done, click Submit to add the new censored word to your board.
To edit an existing word censor, locate the censored word's row. Click the "edit" icon located in that
row, and proceed with changing the censored word's settings.
3.4.6. Attachment Settings

MennoniteHobbit
34
If you allow your users to post attachments, it is important to be able to control your board's
attachments settings. Here, you can configure the main settings for attachments and the associated
special categories. When you are done configuring your board's attachments settings, click Submit.
Attachment Settings
• Allow attachments: If you want attachments to be enabled on your board, select Yes.
• Allow attachments in private messages: If you want to enable attachments being posted in private
messages, select Yes.
• Upload directory: The directory that attachments will be uploaded to. The default directory is /
files/.
• Attachment display order: The order that attachments will be displayed, based on the time the
attachment was posted.
• Total attachment quota: The maximum drive space that will be available for all of your board's
attachments. If you want this quota to be unlimited, use a value of 0.
• Maximum filesize: The maximum filesize of an attachment allowed. If you want this value to be
unlimited, use a value of 0.
• Maximum filesize messaging: The maximum drive space that will be available per user for
attachments posted in private messages. If you want this quota to be unlimited, use a value of 0.
• Max attachments per post: The maximum number of attachments that can be posted in a post. If
you want this value to be unlimited, use a value of 0.
• Max attachments per message: The maximum number of attachments that can be posted in a private
message. If you want this value to be unlimited, use a value of 0.
• Enable secure downloads: If you want to be able to only allow attachments to be available to
specific IP addresses or hostnames, this option should be enabled. You can further configure secure
downloads once you have enabled them here; the secure downloads-specific settings are located
in the Define allowed IPs/Hostnames and Remove or un-exclude allowed IPs/hostnames forms at
the bottom of the page.
• Allow/Deny list: This allows you to configure the default behaviour when secure downloads are
enabled. A whitelist (Allow) only allows IP addresses or hostnames to access downloads, while a
blacklist (Deny) allows all users except those who have an IP address or hostname located on the
blacklist. This setting only applies if secure downloads are enabled.
• Allow empty referrer: Secure downloads are based on referrers.This setting controls if downloads
are allowed for those omitting the referrer information. This setting only applies if secure downloads
are enabled.
Image Category Settings

• Display images inline: How image attachments are displayed. If this is set to No, a link to the
attachment will be given instead, rather than the image itself (or a thumbnail) being displayed inline.
• Create thumbnail: This setting configures your board to either create a thumbnail for every image
attached, or not.
• Maximum thumbnail width in pixels: This is the maximum width in pixels for the created
thumbnails.
• Maximum thumbnail filesize: Thumbnails will not be created for images if the created thumbnail
filesize exceeds this value, in bytes. This is useful for particularly large images that are posted.
35
• Imagemagick path: If you have Imagemagick installed and would like to set your board to use it,
specify the full path to your Imagemagick convert application. An example is /usr/bin/.
• Maximum image dimensions: The maximum size of image attachments, in pixels. If you would
like to disable dimension checking (and thereby allow image attachments of any dimensions), set
each value to 0.
• Image link dimensions: If an image attachment is larger than these dimensions (in pixels), a link to
the image will be displayed in the post instead. If you want images to be displayed inline regardless
of dimensions, set each value to 0.
Define Allowed/Disallowed IPs/Hostnames

• IP addresses or hostnames: If you have secure downloads enabled, you can specify the IP addresses
or hostnames allowed or disallowed. If you specify more than one IP address or hostname, each IP
address or hostname should be on its own line. Entered values can have wildcards (*). To specify
a range for an IP address, separate the start and end with a hyphen (-).
• Exclude IP from [dis]allowed IPs/hostnames: Enable this to exclude the entered IP(s)/hostname(s).
3.4.7. Manage extensions

MennoniteHobbit
You can further configure your board's attachments settings by controlling what file extensions
attached files can have to be uploaded. It is recommended that you do not allow scripting file extensions
(such as php, php3, php4, phtml, pl, cgi, py, rb, asp, aspx, and so forth) for security reasons. You can
find this page by clicking Manage extensions once you're in the ACP.
To add an allowed file extension, find the Add Extension form on the page. In the field labeled
Extension, type in the file extension. Do not include the period before the file extension. Then, select
the extension group that this new file extension should be added to via the Extension group selection
menu. Then, click Submit.
You can also view your board's current allowed file extensions. On the page, you should see a table
listing all of the allowed file extensions. To change the group that an extension belongs to, select a new
extension group from the selection menu located in the extension's row. To delete an extension, check
the checkbox in the Delete column. When you're done managing your board's current file extensions,
click Submit at the bottom of the page.
3.4.8. Manage extension groups

MennoniteHobbit
Allowed file extensions can be placed into groups for easy management and viewing. To manage the
extension groups, click Manage extension groups once you get into the Posting settings part of the
ACP. You can configure specific settings regarding each extension group.
To add a new file extension group, find the textbox that corresponds to the Create new group button.
Type in the name of the extension group, then click Submit. You will be greeted with the extension
group settings form. The following contains descriptions for each option available, and applies to
extension groups that either already exist or are being added.
Add Extension Group

• Group name: The name of the extension group.
• Special category: Files in this extension group can be displayed differently. Select a special category
from this selection menu to change the way the attachments in this extension group is presented
within a post.
36
• Allowed: Enable this if you want to allow attachments that belong in this extension group.
• Allowed in private messaging: Enable this if you want to allow attachments that belong in this
extension group in private messages.
• Upload icon: The small icon that is displayed next to all attachments that belong in this extension
group.
• Maximum filesize: The maximum filesize for attachments in this extension group.
• Assigned extensions: This is a list of all file extensions that belong in this extension group. Click
Go to extension management screen to manage what extensions belong in this extension group.
• Allowed forums: This allows you to control what forums your users are allowed to post attachments
that belong in this extension group. To enable this extension group in all forums, select the Allow
all forums radio button. To set which specific forums this extension group is allowed in, select the
Only forums selected below radio button, and then select the forums in the selection menu.
To edit a current file extension group's settings, click the "Settings" icon that is in the extension group's
row. Then, go ahead and edit the extension group's settings. For more information about each setting,
see the above.
To delete an extension group, click the "Delete" icon that is in the extension group's row.
3.4.9. Orphaned attachments

MennoniteHobbit
Sometimes, attachments may be orphaned, which means that they exist in the specified files directory
(to configure this directory, see the section on attachment settings), but aren't assigned to any post(s).
This can happen when posts are deleted or edited, or even when users attach a file, but don't submit
their post.
To manage orphaned attachments, click on Orphaned attachments on the left-hand menu once you're
in the Posting settings section of the ACP. You should see a list of all orphaned attachments in the
table, along with all the important information regarding each orphaned attachment.
You can assign an orphaned post to a specific post. To do so, you must first find the post's post ID.
Enter this value into the Post ID column for the particular orphaned attachment. Enable Attach file
to post, then click Submit.
To delete an orphaned attachment, check the orphaned attachment's Delete checkbox, then click
Submit. Note that this cannot be undone.
3.5. Users Management

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
3.5.1. Manage Users

Users are the basis of your forum. As a forum administrator, it is very important to be able to manage
your users. Managing your users and their information and specific options is easy, and can be done
via the ACP.
To begin, log in and reach your ACP. Find and click on Users and Groups to reach the necessary page.
If you do not see User Administration , simply find and click on Manage Users in the navigation menu
on the left side of the page.
37
To continue and manage a user, you must know the username(s) that you want to manage. In the
textbox for the "Find a member:" field, type in the username of the user whose information and settings
you wish to manage. On the other hand, if you want to find a member, click on [ Find a Member ]
(which is below the textbox) and follow all the steps appropriate to find and select a user. If you wiant
to manage the information and settings for the Anonymous user (any visitor who is not logged in is
set as the Anonymous user), check the checkbox labeled "Select Anonymous User". Once you have
selected a user, click Submit.
There are many sections relating to a user's settings. The following are subsections that have more
information on each form. Each form allows you to manage specific settings for the user you have
selected. When you are done with editing the data on each form, click Submit (located at the bottom
of each form) to submit your changes.
3.5.1.1. User Overview

MennoniteHobbit
This is the first form that shows up when you first select a user to manage. Here, all of the general
information and settings for each user is displayed.
Username This is the name of the user you're currently managing. If you want
to change the user's username, type in a new username between
three and twenty characters long into the textbox labeled Username:
Registered This is the complete date on which the user registered. You cannot
edit this value.
Registered from IP This is the IP address from which the user registered his or her
account. If you want to determine the IP hostname, click on the
IP address itself. The current page will reload and will display the
appropriate information. If you want to perform a whois on the IP
address, click on the Whois link. A new window will pop up with
this data.
Last Active This is the complete date on which the user was last active.
Founder Founders are users who have all administrator permissions and can
never be banned, deleted or altered by non-founder members. If you
want to set this user as a founder, select the Yes radio button. To
remove founder status from a user, select the No radio button.
Email This is the user's currently set email address. To change the email
address, fill in the Email: textbox with a valid email.
Confirm email address This textbox should only be filled if you are changing the user's
email address. If you are changing the email address, both the Email:
textbox and this one should be filled with the same email address. If
you do not fill this in, the user's email address will not be changed.
New password As an administrator, you cannot see any of your users' password.
However, it is possible to change passwords. To change the user's
password, type in a new password in the New password: textbox.
The new password has to be between six and thirty characters long.
Important
Before submitting any changes to the user, make sure this
field is blank, unless you really want to change the user's
password. If you accidentally change the user's password,
the original password cannot be recovered!
38
Confirm new password This textbox should only be filled if you are changing the user's
password. If you are changing the user's password, the Confirm new
password: textbox needs to be filled in with the same password you
filled in in the above New password: textbox.
Warnings This is the number of warnings the user currently has. You can edit
this number by typing in a number into the Warnings: number field.
Only positive integers are allowed.
For more information about warnings, see ???.
Quick Tools The options in the Quick Tools drop-down selection box allow you
to quickly and easily change one of the user's options. The available
options are Delete Signature, Delete Avatar, Move all Posts, Delete
all Posts, and Delete all attachments.
3.5.1.2. User Feedback

MennoniteHobbit
Another aspect of managing a user is editing their feedback data. Feedback consists of any sort of user
warning issued to the user by a forum administrator.
To customise the display of the user's existing log entries, select any criteria for your customisation by
selecting your options in the drop-down selection boxes entitled Display entries from previous: and
Sort by:. Display entries from previous: allows you to set a specific time period in which the feedback
was issued. Sort by: allows you to sort the existing log entries by Username, Date, IP address, and
Log Action. The log entries can then be sorted in ascending or descending order. When you are done
setting these options, click the Go button to update the page with your customisations.
Another way of managing a user's feedback data is by adding feedback. Simply find the section entitled
Add feedback and enter your message into the FEEDBACK text area. When you are done, click Submit
to add the feedback.
3.5.1.3. User Profile

MennoniteHobbit
Users may sometimes have content in their forum profile that requires that you either update it or
delete it. If you don't want to change a field, leave it blank.The following are the profile fields that
you can change:
• ICQ Number has to be a number at least three digits long.
• AOL Instant Messenger can have any alphanumeric characters and symbols.
• MSN Messenger can have any alphanumeric characters, but should look similar to an email address
(joebloggs@example.com).
• Yahoo Messenger can have any alphanumeric characters and symbols.
• Jabber address can have any alphanumeric characters, but needs to look like an email address would
(joebloggs@example.com).
• Website can have any alphanumeric characters and symbols, but must have the protocol included
(ex. http://www.example.com).
• Location can have any alphanumeric characters and symbols.
• Occupation can have any alphanumeric characters and symbols.
• Interests can have any alphanumeric characters and symbols.
39
• Birthday can be set with three different drop-down selection boxes: Day:, Month:, and Year:,
respectively. Setting a year will list the user's age when it is his or her birthday.
3.5.1.4. User Preferences

MennoniteHobbit
Users have many settings they can use for their account. As an administrator, you can change any of
these settings. The user settings (also known as preferences) are grouped into three main categories:
Global Settings, Posting Defaults, and Display Options.
3.5.1.5. User Avatar

MennoniteHobbit
Here you can manage the user's avatar. If the user has already set an avatar for himself/herself, then
you are able to see the avatar image.
Depending on your avatar settings (for more information on avatar settings, see Avatar Settings), you
can choose any option available to change the user's avatar: Upload from your machine, Upload from
a URL, or Link off-site. You can also select an avatar from your board's avatar gallery by clicking the
Display gallery button next to Local gallery:.
Note
The changes you make to the user's avatar still has to comply with the limitations you've set
in the avatar settings.
To delete the avatar image, simply check the Delete image checkbox underneath the avatar image.
When you are done choosing what avatar the user will have, click Submit to update the user's avatar.
3.5.1.6. User Rank

MennoniteHobbit
Here you can set the user's rank. You can set the user's rank by selecting the rank from the User Rank:
drop-down selection box. After you've picked the rank, click Submit to update the user's rank.
For more information about ranks, see Section 3.5.6, “Managing ranks”.
3.5.1.7. User Signature

MennoniteHobbit
Here you can add, edit, or delete the user's signature.
The user's current signature should be displayed in the Signature form. Just edit the signature by typing
whatever you want into the text area. You can use BBCode and any other special formatting with what's
provided. When you are done editing the user's signature, click Submit to update the user's signature.
Note
The signature that you set has to obey the board's signature limitations that you currently
have set.
3.5.1.8. Groups
MennoniteHobbit
40
Here you can see all of the usergroups that the user is in. From this page you can easily remove the
user from any usergroup, or add the user to an existing group. The table entitled Special groups user
is a member of lists out the usergroups the user is currently a member of.
Adding the user to a new usergroup is very easy. To do so, find the pull-down menu labeled Add user
to group: and select a usergroup from that menu. Once the usergroup is selected, click Submit. Your
addition will immediately take effect.
To delete the user from a group he/she is currently a member of, find the row that the usergroup is
in, and click Delete. You will be greeted with a confirmation screen; if you want to go ahead and do
so, click Yes.
3.5.1.9. Permissions
MennoniteHobbit
Here you can see all of the permissions currently set for the user. For each group the user is in, there
is a separate section on the page for the permissions that relates to that category. To actually set the
user's permissions, see Section 3.7, “Permission Overload”.
3.5.1.10. Attachments
MennoniteHobbit
Depending on the current attachments settings, your users may already have attachments posted. If
the user has already uploaded at least one attachment, you can see the listing of the attachment(s) in
the table. The data available for each attachment consist of: Filename, Topic title, Post time, Filesize,
and Downloads.
To help you in managing the user's attachment(s), you can choose the sorting order of the attachments
list. Find the Sort by: pull-down menu and pick the category you want to use the sort the list (the
possible options are Filename, Extension, Filesize, Downloads, Post time, and Topic title. To choose
the sorting order, choose either Descending or Ascending from the pull-down menu besides the sorting
category. Once you are done, click Go.
To view the attachment, click on the attachment's filename. The attachment will open in the same
browser window. You can also view the topic in which the attachment was posted by clicking on the
link besides the Topic: label, which is below the filename. Deleting the user's attachment(s) is very
easy. In the attachments listing, check the checkboxes that are next to the attachment(s) you want to
delete. When everything you want has been selected, click Delete marked, which is located below the
attachments listing.
Tip
To select all of the attachments shown on the page, click the Mark all link, which is below the
attachments listing. This helps especially if you want to delete all of the attachments shown
on the page at once.
3.5.2. Inactive Users

Graham
Here you are able to view details of all users who are currently marked as inactive along with the
reason their account is marked as inactive and when this occurred.
Using the checkboxes on this page it is possible to perform bulk actions on the users, these include
activating the accounts, sending them a reminder email indicating that they need to activate their
account or deleting the account.
There are 5 reasons which may be indicated for an account being inactive:
41
Account deactivated by This account has been manually deactivated by an

administrator administrator via the user management tools. More details on
who performed this action and the reasons may be available via
the User Notes.
Profile details changed The board is configured to require user activation and this user
has changed key information related to their account such as
the email address and is required to reactivate the account to
confirm these changes.
Newly registered account The board is configured to require user activation and either the
user or an administrator (depending on the settings) has not yet
activated this new account.
Forced user account reactivation An administrator has forced this user to reactivate their account
via the user management tools. More details on who performed
this action and the reasons may be available via the User Notes.
Unknown No reason was recorded for this user being inactive; it is likely
that the change was made by an external application or that this
user was added from another source.
3.5.3. Users' permissions

MennoniteHobbit
Along with being able to manage users' information, it is also important to be able to regularly maintain
and control permissions for the users on your board. User permissions include capabilities such as the
use of avatars and sending private messages. Global moderator permissions includings abilities such
as approving posts, managing topics, and managing bans. Lastly administrator permissions such as
altering permissions, defining custom BBCodes, and managing forums.
To start managing a user's permissions, locate the Users and Groups tab and click on Users' Permissions
in the left-side navigation menu. Here, you can assign global permissions to users. In the Look Up
User. In the Find a user field, type in the username of the user whose permissions you want to edit. (If
you want to edit the anonymous user, check the Select anonymous user checkbox.) Click Submit.
Permissions are grouped into three different categories: user, moderator, and admin. Each user can
have specific settings in each permission category. To faciliate user permissions editing, it is possible
to assign specific preset roles to the user.
Important
For the following permissions editing actions that are described, there are three choices you
have to choose from. You may either select Yes, No, or Never. Selecting Yes will enable
the selected permission for the user, while selecting No will disallow the user from having
permission for the selected setting, unless another permission setting from another area
overrides the setting. If you want to completely disallow the user from having the selected
permission ever, then select Never. The Never setting will override all other values assigned
to the setting.
To edit the user's User permissions, select "User permissions from the Select type selection menu,
then press Go. Select the role to apply to the user. If you would like to use the advanced form that
will offer more detailed permission configuration, click the Advanced Permissions link. A new form
will pop up below the Role selection menu. There are four categories of permissions you may edit:
Post, Profile, Misc, and Private messages.
To edit the user's Moderative permissions, select "Moderator permissions from the Select type
selection menu, then press Go. Select the role to apply to the user. If you would like to use the advanced
form that will offer more detailed permission configuration, click the Advanced Permissions link. A
42
new form will pop up below the Role selection menu. There are three categories of permissions you
may edit: Post actions, Misc, and Topic actions.
To edit the user's Administrative permissions, select "Admin permissions from the Select type
selection menu, then press Go. Select the role to apply to the user. If you would like to use the advanced
form that will offer more detailed permission configuration, click the Advanced Permissions link. A
new form will pop up below the Role selection menu. There are six categories of permissions you may
edit: Permissions, Posting, Misc, Users & Groups, Settings, and Forums.
3.5.4. Users' forum permissions

MennoniteHobbit
Along with editing your users' user account-related permissions, you can also edit their forum
permissions, which relate to the forums in your board. Forum permissions are different from user
permissions in that they are directly related and tied to the forums. Users' forum permissions allows
you to edit your users' forum permissions. When doing so, you can only assign forum permissions
to one user at a time.
To start editing a user's forum permissions, start by typing in the user's username into the Find a
member text box. If you would like to edit the forum permissions that pertain to the anonymous user,
check the Select anonymous user text box. Click Submit to continue.
Figure 3.5. Selecting forums for users' forum permissions
Selecting forums to assign forum permissions to users. In this example, the "Cats" and "Dogs"
subforums (their parent forum is "Pets") are selected. The user's forum permissions for these two
forums will be edited/updated.
You should now be able to assign forum permissions to the user. You now have two ways to assign
forum permissions to the user: you may either select the forum(s) manually with a multiple selection
43
menu, or select a specific forum or category, along with its associated subforums. Click Submit to
continue with the forum(s) you have picked. Now, you should be greeted with the Setting permissions
screen, where you can actually assign the forum permissions to the user. You should now select what
kind of forum permissions you want to edit now; you may either edit the user's Forum permissions
or Moderator permissions. Click Go. You should now be able to select the role to assign to the user
for each forum you selected previously. If you would like to configure these permissions with more
detail, click the Advanced permissions link located in the appropriate forum permissions box, and then
update the permissions accordingly. When you are done, click Apply all permissions if you are in the
Advanced permissions area, or click Apply all permissions at the bottom of the page to submit all of
your changes on the page.
3.5.5. Custom profile fields

MennoniteHobbit
One of the many new features in phpBB3 that enhance the user experience is Custom Profile Fields.
In the past, users could only fill in information in the common profile fields that were displayed;
administrators had to add MODifications to their board to accommodate their individual needs. In
phpBB3, however, administrators can comfortably create custom profile fields through the ACP.
To create your custom profile field, login to your ACP. Click on the Users and Groups tab, and then
locate the Custom profile fields link in the left-hand menu to click on. You should now be on the
proper page. Locate the empty textbox below the custom profile fields headings, which is next to a
selection menu and a Create new field button. Type in the empty textbox the name of the new profile
field you want to create first. Then, select the field type in the selection menu. Available options are
Numbers, Single text field, Textarea, Boolean (Yes/No), Dropdown box, and Date. Click the Create
new field button to continue. The following describes each of the three sets of settings that the new
custom profile field will have.
Add profile field

• Field type: This is the kind of the field that your new custom profile field is. That means that it can
consist of numbers, dates, etc. This should already be set.
• Field identification: This is the name of the profile field. This name will identify the profile field
within phpBB3's database and templates.
• Display profile field: This setting determines if the new profile field will be displayed at all. The
profile field will be shown on topic pages, profiles and the memberlist if this is enabled within the
load settings. Only showing within the users profile is enabled by default.
Visibility option
• Display in user control panel: This setting determines if your users will be able to change the profile
field within the UCP.
• Display at registration screen: If this option is enabled, the profile field will be displayed on the
registration page. Users will be able to be change this field within the UCP.
• Required field: This setting determines if you want to force your users to fill in this profile field.
This will display the profile field at registration and within the user control panel.
• Hide profile field: If this option is enabled, this profile field will only show up in users' profiles.
Only administrators and moderators will be able to see or fill out this field in this case.
Language specific options

• Field name/title presented to the user: This is the actual name of the profile field that will be
displayed to your users.
44
• Field description: This is a simple description/explanation for your users filling out this field.
When you are done with the above settings, click the Profile type specific options button to continue.
Fill out the appropriate settings with what you desire, then click the Next button. If your new
custom profile field was created successfully, you should be greeted with a green success message.
Congratulations!
3.5.6. Managing ranks

MennoniteHobbit
Ranks are special titles that can be applied to forum users. As an administrator, it is up to you to create
and manage the ranks that exist on your board. The actual names for the ranks are completely up to
you; it's usually best to tailor them to the main purpose of your board.
Note
When assigning a special rank name to a user, remember that no permissions are associated.
For example, if you create a "Support Moderator" rank and assign it to a user, that user will not
automatically get moderator permissions. You must assign the user the special permissions
separately.
To manage your board's ranks, login to your ACP, click on the Users and Groups tab, and then click
on the Manage ranks link located in the left-hand menu. You should now be on the rank management
page. All current existing ranks are displayed.
To create a new rank, click on the Add new rank button located below the existing ranks list. Fill in
the first field Rank title with the name of the rank. If you uploaded an image you want to attribute
to the rank into the /images/ranks/ folder, you can select an image from the selection menu.
The last setting you can set is if you want the rank to be a "special" rank. Special ranks are ranks that
administrators assign to users; they are not automatically assigned to users based on their postcount.
If you selected No, then you can fill in the Minimum posts field with the minimum number of posts
your users must have before getting assigned this rank. When you are done, click the Submit button
to add this new rank.
To edit a rank's current settings, locate the rank's row, and then click on its "Edit" button located in
the Action column.
To delete a rank, locate the rank's row, and then click on its "Delete" button located in the Action
column. Then, you must confirm the action by clicking on the Yes button when prompted.
3.5.7. User Security

MennoniteHobbit
Other than being able to manage your users on your board, it is also important to be able to protect your
board and prevent unwanted registrations and users. The User Security section allows you to manage
banned emails, IPs, and usernames, as well as managing disallowed usernames and user pruning.
Banned users that exhibit information that match any of these ban rules will not be able to reach any
part of your board.
3.5.7.1. Ban emails

MennoniteHobbit
Sometimes, it is necessary to ban emails in order to prevent unwanted registrations. There may be
certain users or spam bots that use emails that you are aware of. Here, in the Ban emails section, you
can do this. You can control which email addresses are banned, how long a ban is in effect, and the
given reason(s) for banning.
45
To ban or exclude one or more email addresses, fill in the Ban one or more email addresses form.
Once you are done with your changes, click Submit.
Ban one or more email addresses

• Email address: This textbox should contain all the emails that you want to ban under a single rule.
If you want to ban more than one email at this time, put each email on its own line. You can also
use wildcards (*) to match partial addresses.
• Length of ban: This is how long you want the email address(es) to be banned for. The available
options include some common durations, such as number of hours or days. You may also set a date
for which the email address(es) will be banned until; to set this, select Until -> from the selection
menu, and specify a date in the format "YYYY-MM-DD" in the textbox located below the selection
menu.
• Exclude from banning: You should enable this if you want to exclude the entered email address
from all current bans.
• Reason for ban: This is a short reason for why you want to ban the email address(es). This is optional,
and can help you remember in the future why you banned the email address(es).
• Reason shown to the banned: This is a short explanation that will actually be shown to the users
with the banned email address(es). This can be different from the above Reason for ban.
Other than adding emails to be banned, you can also un-ban or un-exclude email addresses from bans.
To un-ban or exclude one or more email addresses from bans, fill in the Un-ban or un-exclude emails
form. Once you are done, click Submit.
Un-ban or un-exclude emails

• Email address: This multiple selection menu lists all currently banned emails. Select the email that
you want to un-ban or exclude by clicking on the email in the multiple selection menu.
Tip
To select more than one email address, you have to use the appropriate combination of
mouse and keyboard commands. The most common way to do this is to press and hold
down the CTRL button on your keyboard, and then click all of the emails you want to
select. Let go of the CTRL button once you are done.
• Length of ban: This is an uneditable information box that shows the length of the ban for the
currently selected email. If more than one email address is selected, only one of the ban lengths
will be displayed.
• Reason for ban: This is an uneditable information box that shows the reason for the ban for the
currently selected email. If more than one email address is selected, only one of the ban reasons
will be displayed.
• Reason shown to the banned: This is an uneditable information box that shows the reason shown
to the banned for the currently selected email. If more than one email address is selected, only one
of the shown ban reasons will be displayed.
3.5.7.2. Ban IPs

MennoniteHobbit
Sometimes, it is necessary to ban IP addresses or hostnames in order to prevent unwanted users. There
may be certain users or spam bots that use IPs or hostnames that you are aware of. Here, in the Ban
IPs section, you can do this. You can control which IP addresses or hostnames are banned, how long
a ban is in effect, and the given reason(s) for banning.
46
To ban or exclude one or more IP addresses and/or hostnames, fill in the Ban one or more email
addresses form. Once you are done with your changes, click Submit.
Ban one or more IPs

• IP addresses or hostnames: This textbox should contain all of the IP addresses and/or hostnames that
you want to ban under a single rule. If you want to ban more than one IP address and/or hostname
at this time, put each IP address and/or hostname on its own line. You can also use wildcards (*)
to match partial addresses.
• Length of ban: This is how long you want the IP address(es) and/or hostname(s) to be banned for.
The available options include some common durations, such as number of hours or days. You may
also set a date for which the IP address(es) and/or hostname(s) will be banned until; to set this,
select Until -> from the selection menu, and specify a date in the format "YYYY-MM-DD" in the
textbox located below the selection menu.
• Exclude from banning: You should enable this if you want to exclude the entered IP address(es)
and/or hostnames from all current bans.
• Reason for ban: This is a short reason for why you want to ban the IP address(es) and/or hostname(s).
This is optional, and can help you remember in the future why you banned the IP address(es) and/
or hostname(s).
• Reason shown to the banned: This is a short explanation that will actually be shown to the users with
the banned IP address(es) and/or hostname(s). This can be different from the above Reason for ban.
Other than adding IP address(es) and/or hostname(s) to be banned, you can also un-ban or un-exclude
IP address(es) and/or hostname(s) from bans. To un-ban or exclude one or more IP address(es) and/or
hostname(s) from bans, fill in the Un-ban or un-exclude IPs form. Once you are done, click Submit.
Un-ban or un-exclude IPs

• IP addresses or hostnames: This multiple selection menu lists all currently banned IP address(es)
and/or hostname(s). Select the IP address(es) and/or hostname(s) that you want to un-ban or exclude
by clicking on the IP address(es) and/or hostname(s) in the multiple selection menu.
Tip
To select more than one IP address and/or hostname, you have to use the appropriate
combination of mouse and keyboard commands. The most common way to do this is to
press and hold down the CTRL button on your keyboard, and then click all of the IP
address(es) and/or hostname(s) you want to select. Let go of the CTRL button once you
are done.
currently selected IP address or hostname. If more than one IP address or hostname is selected, only
one of the ban lengths will be displayed.
currently selected IP address or hostname. If more than one IP address or hostname is selected, only
one of the ban reasons will be displayed.
to the banned for the currently selected IP address or hostname. If more than one IP address or
hostname is selected, only one of the shown ban reasons will be displayed.
3.5.7.3. Ban Users

MennoniteHobbit
47
Whenever you encounter troublesome users on your board, you may have to ban them. On the Ban
usernames page, you can do exactly that. On this page, you can manage all banned usernames.
To ban or exclude one or more users, fill in the Ban one or more users form. Once you are done with
your changes, click Submit.
Ban one or more usernames

• Username: This textbox should contain all of the usernames that you want to ban under a single
rule. If you want to ban more than one username at this time, put each username on its own line.
You can also use wildcards (*) to partially match usernames.
• Length of ban: This is how long you want the username(s) to be banned for. The available options
include some common durations, such as number of hours or days. You may also set a date for
which the username(s) will be banned until; to set this, select Until -> from the selection menu, and
specify a date in the format "YYYY-MM-DD" in the textbox located below the selection menu.
• Exclude from banning: You should enable this if you want to exclude the entered username(s) from
all current bans.
• Reason for ban: This is a short reason for why you want to ban the username(s). This is optional,
and can help you remember in the future why you banned the user(s).
• Reason shown to the banned: This is a short explanation that will actually be shown to the banned
user(s). This can be different from the above Reason for ban.
Other than adding users to be banned, you can also un-ban or un-exclude usernames from bans. To un-
ban or exclude one or more users from bans, fill in the Un-ban or un-exclude usernames form. Once
you are done, click Submit.
Un-ban or un-exclude usernames

• Username: This multiple selection menu lists all currently banned usernames. Select the
username(s) that you want to un-ban or exclude by clicking on the username(s) in the multiple
selection menu.
Tip
To select more than one username, you have to use the appropriate combination of mouse
and keyboard commands. The most common way to do this is to press and hold down the
CTRL button on your keyboard, and then click all of the usernames you want to select.
Let go of the CTRL button once you are done.
currently selected username. If more than one username is selected, only one of the ban lengths
will be displayed.
currently selected username. If more than one username is selected, only one of the ban reasons
will be displayed.
to the banned for the currently selected username. If more than one username is selected, only one
of the shown ban reasons will be displayed.
3.5.7.4. Disallow usernames

MennoniteHobbit
In phpBB3, it is also possible to disallow the registration of certain usernames that match any
usernames that you configure. (This is useful if you want to prevent users from registering with
48
usernames that might confuse them with an important board member.) To manage disallowed
usernames, go to the ACP, click the Users and Groups tab, and then click on Disallow usernames,
which is located on the side navigation menu.
To add a disallowed username, locate the Add a disallowed username form, and then type in the
username in the textbox labeled Username.
Tip
You can use wildcards (*) to match any character. For example, to disallow any username that
matches "JoeBloggs", you could type in "Joe*". This would prevent all users from registering
a username that starts with "Joe".
Once you are done, click Submit.
To remove a disallowed username, locate the Remove a disallowed username form. Select the
disallowed username that you would like to remove from the Username selection menu. Click Submit
to remove the selected disallowed username.
3.5.7.5. Prune users

MennoniteHobbit
In phpBB3, it is possible to prune users from your board in order to keep only your active members.
You can also delete a whole user account, along with everything associated with the user account.
Prune users allows you to prune and deactivate user accounts on your board by post count, last visited
date, and more.
To start the pruning process, locate the Prune users form. You can prune users based on any
combination of the available criteria. (In other words, fill out every field in the form that applies to
the user(s) you're targeting for pruning.) When you are ready to prune users that match your specified
settings, click Submit.
Prune users
• Username: Enter a username that you want to be pruned. You can use wildcards (*) to prune users
that have a username that matches the given pattern.
• Email: The email that you want to be pruned. You can use wildcards (*) to prune users that have
an email address that matches the given pattern.
• Joined: You can also prune users based on their date of registration. To prune users who joined
before a certain date (be careful with this setting), choose Before from the selection menu. To prune
users who joined after a certain date, choose After from the selection menu. The date must be in
the format YYYY-MM-DD.
• Last active: You can also prune users based on the last time they were active. To prune users who
were last active before a certain date (be careful with this setting), choose Before from the selection
menu. To prune users who were last after a certain date (this is useful to prune users who have
disappeared from your board), choose After from the selection menu. The date must be in the format
YYYY-MM-DD.
• Posts: You can prune users based on their post count as well. The criteria for post count can be
above, below, or equal to, a specified number. The value you enter must be a positive integer.
• Prune users: The usernames of the users you want to prune. Each username you want to prune
should be on its own line. You can use wildcards (*) in username patterns as well.
• Delete pruned user posts: When users are removed (actually deleted and not just deactivated), you
must choose what to do with their posts. To delete all of the posts that belong to the pruned user(s),
select the radio button labeled Yes. Otherwise, select No and the pruned user(s)' posts will remain
on the board, untouched.
49
• Deactivate or delete: You must choose whether you want to deactivate the pruned user(s)' accounts,
or to completely delete and remove them from the board's database.
Warning
Pruning users cannot be undone! Be careful with the criteria you choose when pruning users.
3.6. Group Management

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
Usergroups are a way of grouping users. This makes it easier to set permissions to many people at the
same time. phpBB 3.0 has six pre-defined groups: Administrators, Bots, Global Moderators, Guests,
Registered Users, and Registered COPPA Users.
3.6.1. Group types

dhn
MennoniteHobbit
There are two types of groups:
Pre-defined groups These are groups that are available by default in phpBB 3.0. You
cannot delete them, as the board needs them for various features.
You can still change their attributes (description, colour, rank, avatar,
and so forth) and group leaders. Users that register to your board are
automatically added to the predefined group "Registered Users", for
instance. Do not try to remove them manually through the database, or
your board will no longer function properly.
Administrators This usergroup contains all of

the administrators on your board.
All founders are administrators,
but not all administrators are
founders. You can control what
administrators can do by managing
this group.
Bots This usergroup is meant for

search engine bots. phpBB 3.0
has the ability to overcome the
common problems that search
engine spiders encounter when
spidering your board. For more
information on managing settings
for each bot, see the Spiders and
Bots section.
Global Moderators Global moderators are moderators

that have moderator permissions
for every forum in your board. You
can edit what permissions these
moderators have by managing this
group.
Guests Guests are visitors to your board

who aren't logged in. You can limit
50
what guests can do by managing

this usergroup.
Registered Users Registered users are a big part of

your board. Registered users have
already registered on your board.
To control what registered users
can do, manage this usergroup.
Registered COPPA Users Registered COPPA users are

basically the same as registered
users, except that they fall under
the COPPA, or Child Online
Privacy Protection Act, law,
meaning that they are under the
age of 13 in the U.S.A. Managing
the permissions this usergroup has
is important in protecting these
users. COPPA doesn't apply to
users living outside of the U.S.A.
and can be disabled altogther.
User defined groups The groups you create by yourself are called "User defined groups".
These groups are similar to groups in 2.0. You may create as many as
you want, remove them, set group leaders, and change their attributes
(description, colour, rank, avatar, and so forth).
The Manage Groups section in the ACP shows you separated lists of both your "User defined groups"
and the "Pre-defined groups".
3.6.2. Group attributes

A list of attributes a group can have:
Group name The name of your group.
Group description The description of the group that will be displayed on the group
overview list..
Display group in legend: This will enable the display of the name of the group in the
legend of the "Who is Online" list. Note, that this will only
make sense if you specified a colour for the group.
Group able to receive private This will allow the sending of Private Messages to this group.
messages Please note, that it can be dangerous to allow this for Registered
Users, for instance. There is no permission to deny the sending
to groups, so anyone who is able to send Private Messages will
be able to send a message to this group!
Group private message limit per This setting overrides the per-user folder message limit. A
folder value of "0" means the user default limit will be used. See the
section on user preferences for more information about private
message settings.
Group colour The name of members that have this group as their default
group (see Section 3.6.3, “Default groups”) will be displayed in
this colour on all forum pages. If you enable Display group in
legend, an legend entry with the same colour will appear below
the "Who is Online" listing.
51
Group rank A member that has this group as the default group (see
Section 3.6.3, “Default groups”) will have this rank below his
username. Note, that you can change the rank of this member to
a different one that overrides the group setting. See the section
on ranks for more information.
Group avatar A member that has this group as the default group (see
Section 3.6.3, “Default groups”) will use this avatar. Note that
a member can change his avatar to a different one if he has the
permission to do so. For more information on avatar settings,
see the userguide section on avatars.
3.6.3. Default groups

As it is now possible to assign attributes like colours or avatars to groups (see Section 3.6.2, “Group
attributes”, it can happen that a user is a member of two or more different groups that have different
avatars or other attributes. So, which avatar will the user now inherit?
To overcome this problem, you are able to assign each user exactly one "Default group". The user will
only inherit the attributes of this group. Note, that it is not possible to mix attributes: If one group has
a rank but no avatar, and another group has only a avatar, it is not possible to display the avatar from
one group and the rank from the other group. You have to decide for one "Default group".
Important
Default groups have no influence on permissions. There is no added permissions bonus for
your default group, so a user's permissions will stay the same, no matter what group is his
default one.
You can change default groups in two ways. You can do this either through the user management
(see Section 3.5, “Users Management”), or directly through the groups management (Manage groups)
page. Please be careful with the second option, as when you change the default group through a
group directly, this will change the default group for all its group members and overwrite their old
default groups. So, if you change the default group for the "Registered Users" group by using the
Default link, all members of your forum will have this group as their default one, even members of
the Administrators and Moderators groups as they are also members of "Registered Users".
Important
If you make a group the default one that has a rank and avatar set, the user's old avatar and
rank will be overwritten by the group.
3.7. Permission Overload

dhn
3.8. Styles
dhn
MennoniteHobbit
phpBB 3.0 is very customisable. Styling is one aspect of this customisability. Being able to manage
the styles your board uses is important in keeping an interesting board. Your board's style may even
reflect the purpose of your board. Styles allows you to manage all the styles available on your board.
phpBB 3.0 styles have three main parts: templates, themes, and imagesets.
52
Templates Templates are the HTML files responsible for the layout of the style.
Themes Themes are a combination of colour schemes and images that define the basic look
of your forum.
Imagesets Imagesets are groups of images that are used throughout your board. Imagesets are
comprised of all of the non-style specific images used by your board.
3.8.1. Templates
3.8.2. Themes
3.8.3. Imagesets
3.9. Board Maintenance
dhn
MennoniteHobbit
ameeck
Running a phpBB 3.0 board is a very important job that is up to the administrator(s). Maintaining the
board to make sure it runs as cleanly and properly as possible is the administrator's job.
Board Maintenance is a section in the ACP that allows you to keep track of internal phpBB information,
such as logs, as well as maintaining your database (which holds your phpBB-related data), such as
backing up and restoring data.
3.9.1. Forum Logs

Graham
MennoniteHobbit
The Forum Log section of the ACP provides an overview of what has been happening on the board.
This is important for you, the administrator, to keep track of. There are four types of logs:
Admin Log This log records all actions carried out within the administration panel itself.
Moderator Log This logs records the actions performed by moderators of your board. Whenever
a topic is moved or locked it will be recorded here, allowing you to see who
carried out a particular action.
User Log This log records all important actions carried out either by users or on users. All
email and password changes are recorded within this log.
Error Log This log shows you any errors that were caused by actions done by the board
itself, such as errors sending emails. If you are having problems with a particular
feature not working, this log is a good place to start. If enabled, addtional
debugging information may be written to this log.
Click on one of the log links located in the left-hand Forum Logs section.
If you have appropriate permissions, you are able to remove any or all log entries from the above
sections. To remove log entries, go to the appropriate log entries section, check the log entries'
checkboxes, and then click on the Delete marked checkbox to delete the log entries.
3.9.2. Database backup and restore

ameeck
53
phpBB uses a database to store all the data used on the board, including users, posts, topics etc. Backing
up the database can be useful as a protective measure in case of any accidents which could cause data
loss or damage to the database. If any accident like this would occur, you would have a possibility to
restore the database to a previous state from the backup. You can use the backup tool to move your
board to another host - you will make a backup on your current server and restore it on the new one
to keep all data.
Database backup
• Backup type: You can backup the whole database or you can either backup the structure or data.
The structure only contains the hiearchy in which the data is stored, on the other side, if you only
backup the data, you will need a pre-prepared structure when restoring/importing data.
• File type: Depending on your server setup, you can save the backup in several formats. The Text
option saves the backup in plain text, other options compress the file to decrease the filesize of the
dump.
• Action: You have three options: you can both Store and download the file, saving it in the store
directory and downloading it to your PC, or you can choose to download or store the file.
• Table select: You can either Select all tables or you can select individual tables to backup. When
backing up a large database, you can exclude the search tables (do not forget to restore their
structure) and recreate the search index on the new server.
Tip
Use the CTRL and Shift keys together with your mouse to select individual tables.
Database restore
• File select: You will be offered a list of database backups which are saved in the store folder. Select
the one you want to restore and click Start restore. The restoration might take some time and it will
overwrite any existing data on the board.
Figure 3.6. List of backups available
In this list, located on the Restore page, you can find a list of backups made through the phpBB ACP
which can be selected and restored.
54
3.9.3. Search Indexing

ameeck
phpBB 3.0 provides you with a powerful search system which can be used to search throughout your
board. The main controls for the search features are located in the Search settings section. Here you can
manage the search index, which is used to hold the data necessary for quick and precise search results,
it's something like an giant table of contents. By default, two search backends are available - fulltext
native, which is included in the phpBB code and works on all DBMSs, and fulltext mysql, which uses
the built-in MySQL fulltext searching feature. The first one offers more flexible configuration, while
the second one doesn't take too much space in the database and the index is created much faster.
Note
Creating a search index can take a very long time, a new window will pop up and refresh
itself while creating the necessary search table entries. Please be patient, the process can take
several hours on large boards.
The fulltext native backend works like this: it uses two tables, one containing the words, which are
used on the board and which have a numeric ID assigned and a second table, which links post IDs to
word IDs. This system is very fast when you need to search a specific word(s) in the whole database,
the following statistics, which are offered on the Search Index page, describe how many words and
relations the system holds:
Total number of indexed words This setting is quite self-explanatory, it is the number of
different words that have ever been posted to your board. Only
words that match the criteria for indexing, set in the Search
settings, are considered.
Total number of word to post As described above, the second search table holds a list of
relations indexed relations between the posts and words. For example if someone
would post "airplane" in two different posts, the system would
add the word once and it would add to relations, one to each
post.
Total number of indexed posts This statistic is shown for the mysql fulltext backend, where the
(fulltext mysql) search is done by a internal mechanism of the Database system.
It tells you how many posts on the board were indexed.
3.10. System Configuration

ameeck
Graham
Controls which affect the whole board and which are a key part of configuring and running phpBB
are located in the System section. Most of these settings require more attention from the administrator
and are not so easy to configure, fortunately you will probably not be changing them too often. This
includes keeping your installation up-to-date, managing the board's languages or editing the structure
of phpBB's control panels.
3.10.1. Checking for updates

ameeck
The phpBB 3.0.x branch is usually updated every couple of months as necessary. Bugfixes, new
features and other changes are included in these updates. The minor version number gets incremented
each time. It is strongly recommended to keep your phpBB installation up to date. Updating from older
55
versions is more difficult and you will have a hard time finding solutions to possible conflicts. You
can update with the Automatic Update Package, which is able to merge modifications from MODs
with the updates or you can use one of the other packages provided.
You will be notified in your ACP if a new version is released, you will also have a link to the newest
release announcement, which will brief you on the added features and the overall changelog.
Updating with the Automatic Update Package is very simple. First, you will go to the linked
phpBB.com downloads page and download the appropriate file. You will extract the contents on your
PC and upload them to the root directory of your board. The board will be offline for normal users
for the moment. Then simply go to the install/ directory and select the Update tab, the updater
will then give you further instructions.
3.10.2. Managing Search Robots

ameeck
phpBB 3 introduced a new system for managing search indexer and bot accounts. It allows you
to identify these automated bots by their IP or a part of their user-agent, which is a setting that
normally identifies the browser of a user. After you add a bot and it is recognized, phpBB does not
treat the session as anonymous, but uses the created bot account. Bots use permissions set by the
predefined Bots group. Identifying bots is important so that phpBB can serve them content which is
more appropriate for search engines - dead links to pages without content are omitted, e.g. posting
pages, report post pages etc. Bots never receive a session ID in the URL, which should not appear in
the search results. You can also assign a specific style and language to bots.
You can easily track if a specific search indexer visited your site recently by checking the Last Visit
column on the botlist page.
Note
Bots do not use permissions from the Guest group, but permissions from the Bots group. For
more about predefined groups, please read Section 3.6.1, “Group types”
Adding a bot
• Bot name: This is the title of the bot that will be used on the forum. You will see it in the list of
bots in the ACP and in the Who is Online lists.
• Bot style: You can select the style served to the bot from the list of installed styles on the board.
• Bot language: You can do the same with the language. The bot will use the language selected here.
• Bot active: The bot session will be created only if a bot is active, if not, the data for a bot set in
this form will not be used anywhere.
• Agent match: You can match a bot by either its user-agent or its IP. You can specify a part of the
user-agent to be looked for. For example, the Google search indexer has "Googlebot" in its user-
agent, so you would enter it here to identify when Google crawls your board.
• Bot IP address: This field is also used to identify the bot. If a bot cannot be recognized by the user-
agent, you can specify what IP address should be used to identify it. Partial matches are allowed,
that means you can include only the first two or three octets of the IP if the rest dynamically changes.
You can also enter multiple IPs separated by a comma.
Note
If you enter both a user-agent and an IP address, both have to match to identify the bot.
56
3.10.3. Mass email

ameeck
phpBB allows you to send an e-mail or message to every user on the board, which allows it in his
board preferences. The message can serve as a newsletter, notification about changes on the board
etc. You can choose whether to send the e-mail to all users, a specific group or a list of specific users.
The e-mail is sent from the administrator's e-mail address and all recipients are included in a BCC
- Blind Carbon Copy.
On some hosts, sending a mass e-mail can be a problem, since sometimes the hosting company limits
the number of e-mails that can be sent out at once. phpBB includes only 50 recipients per e-mail and
sends another one for the next batch to prevent this, however, if you still are not able to send a mass
e-mail, consult the situation with your hosting provider.
Composing a mass e-mail

• Send to group: Select the group you want to send the e-mail too. The Registered Users group
contains all the users on the board.
• Send to users: You can also specify a list of users. Entering any usernames in this field will override
the first setting. Each username should be on a new line.
• Subject: This is the subject of the message, which you are used to enter when sending an e-mail.
• Your message: This field contains the message, you can only enter plaintext. BBCode or HTML will
be encoded in HTML entities and shown as is without formatting the text when the user receives
the e-mail.
• Mail priority: This is the priority of the e-mail sent with the e-mail headers.
• Send immediately: You can choose whether to send the e-mail immediately or pass the messages
to the cache system and let them be sent gradually.
Note
Sending e-mails to all users on the board or a large group can be a lengthy process. Wait until
the script confirms that the e-mails have been sent.
3.10.4. Language Packs

ameeck
In phpBB, you can upload several language packs for your users to use. Every text string displayed by
the system should be translated after you upload a new language pack. Using a different language pack
does not change the contents of posts, as translating them is not possible due to the various content
they can have and the limits of computer translation.
Language packs can be downloaded from the Downloads page on phpBB.com. To add a language
pack, unzip the downloaded file and upload the contents to the language/ directory. The files should
be contained in a directory named with the language's ISO code, the default British English pack is in
the en/ directory for example. After you upload the files to the system, the pack should show in the
Uninstalled language packs list. Click Install to add it to the board and make it available for users.
Note
To make a language pack the default language of the board, you need to change the Board
Configuration.
57
If you are not comfortable with editing PHP files manually and you would like to change some text
phpBB is displaying, you can use the in-built language pack editor which is accessible once you click
the language pack title in the Installed language packs list. You can change the language pack details
and the contents of individual language files on this page. In case you have more language packs
installed and you select another language pack than the default one, you will see a list of untranslated
variables if the packs are not synchronised. This is useful when you install MODs for one language
and you cannot find what language strings you are missing in the other ones for example.
If you choose to edit a file using the ACP you have two options on how to update the translation on the
board. First you can choose to Submit or Submit and download the file, which will store the file you
are editing in the store/ directory and the file will be offered for download if you choose the second
button. If you choose to save the file in the store directory, you will have to manually move it to the
language pack directory. The second possibility, which is right under these two buttons is to move the
file to the language pack directory by using FTP. You will be prompted for FTP login credentials and
if possible the file be saved and updated immediately by the script.
3.10.5. PHP Information

Graham
This option will provide you with information about the version of PHP installed on your server, along
with information on loaded modules and the configuration applicable to the current location. This
information can be useful to phpBB team members in helping you to diagnose problems affecting your
installation of phpBB. The information here can be security sensitive and it is recommended that you
only grant access to this option to those users who need access to the information and do not disclose
the information unless necessary.
Please note that some hosting providers may limit the information which is available to you on this
page for security reasons.
3.10.6. Manage reasons for reporting and denying

posts
ameeck
phpBB has a feature that allows you to put new posts in queue, where the post waits until it is approved
or denied by a moderator, this can be set with permissions or in the Post settings for users which do
not have enough posts. If a moderator chooses to deny a post in the queue, he has an option to specify
a reason for the denial. The predefined options from which he can choose are specified here. These
reasons are also offered to users reporting a post on the board.
For more information about queue moderation, see Section 4.5.1, “Moderation queue”.
58
Figure 3.7. Report/denial reasons page
This is the page from which you can manage reasons shown when denying or reporting a post. Four
default reasons present in a standard phpBB installation are shown. The fifth one is added manually
and is not localised, this can be achieved by specifying an identifier in the Reason title containing
only letters and underscores and then adding localised titles and reasons in the language file called
mcp.php located in the language/ directory. The predefined reasons are at the bottom of the file,
you need to add your reason in the same way as the others are saved. When you localise a reason, it
is shown in the correct translation for each language pack used on the board.
3.10.7. Module Management

ameeck
Modules are used the form the structure and content of the UCP, MCP and ACP. Individual modules
can be optionally disabled and it is possible to reorganize them into a different structure. Modules
for the User Control Panel and the Moderator Control panel have a Category » Module two-level
structure, while the Administration modules have three levels: Category (tabs at the top) » Category
(headers on the left-hand side) » Module (individual sections).
Very often, MODs that have controllable features add modules to the ACP to allow comfortable editing
of various settings.
To create a module category, use the text field next to the Create new module button. Enter the category
title, click the button and on the next page ensure that the Module type is Category, the module is
enabled and that the Module parent is set correctly. After you create a category, you can browse to it
through the list of modules and add a specific module that is saved in a file. Modules are saved in the
appropriate directory (acp/, mcp/ or /ucp) contained in the includes/ directory.
Adding a module
• Module language name: This should be set to the language constant that holds the module name in
the different languages, which are used on the board. You can also specify a normal title here, if
you do not have the module title translated.
• Module type: You can add a category or a module. As stated above, categories hold another level
of categories or modules, they are used to organize the control panels.
• Parent: This setting defines under which category the module or category will be displayed.
• Module enabled: If a module is disabled, it will not be accessible at all, you will have to enable
it to use it.
59
• Module displayed: If the module is enabled, but not displayed, you will be able to access it with
a direct URL but it will not show in the menus. This setting is shown only if the Module type is
set to Module.
• Choose module: Individual module files contain the various control panels. Similar modules are
grouped into one file and are called by specifying a mode. Here you select the file in which the
specific module you want is located. This setting is shown only if the Module type is set to Module.
• Choose module mode: Here you set the what mode should be used in the module file selected above.
The final contents of the module are based on this setting. This setting is shown only if the Module
type is set to Module.
60
Chapter 4. Moderator Guide
$Id: moderator_guide.xml 240 2008-12-19 17:06:29Z toonarmy $
This chapter describes the phpBB 3.0 forum moderation controls.
4.1. Editing posts

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Moderators with privileges in the relevant forums are able to edit topics and posts. You can usually
view who the moderators are beneath the forum description on the index page. A user with moderator
privileges is able to select the edit button beside each post. Beyond this point, they are able to:
Delete posts This option removes the post from the topic. Remember that it
cannot be recovered once deleted.
Change or remove the post icon Decides whether or not an icon accompanies the post, and if
so, which icon.
Alter the subject and message body Allows the moderator to alter the contents of the post.
Alter the post options - disabling Determines whether certain features are enabled in the post.
BBCode/Smilies parsing URLs etc.
Lock the topic or post Allows the moderator to lock the current post, or the full topic.
Add, alter or remove attachments Select attachments to be removed or edited (if option is enabled
and attachments are present).
Modify poll settings Alter the current poll settings (if option is enabled and a poll
is present).
If, for any case the moderator decides that the post should not be edited, they may lock the post to
prevent the user doing so. The user will be shown a notice when they attempt to edit the post in future.
Should the moderator wish to state why the post was edited, they may enter a reason when editing
the post.
4.2. Moderation tools

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Beneath topics, the moderator has various options in a dropdown box which modify the topic in
different ways. These include the ability to lock, unlock, delete, move, split, merge and copy the topic.
As well as these, they are also able to change the topic type (Sticky/Announcement/Global), and also
view the topics logs. The following subsections detail each action on a topic that a moderator can
perform.
61
Moderator Guide
Figure 4.1. Quick Mod Tools
The quick moderator tools. As you can see, these tools are located at the end of each topic at the
bottom of the page, before the last post on that page. Clicking on the selection menu will show you
all of the actions you may perform.
4.2.1. Locking a topic or post

This outlines how a moderator may lock whole topics or individual posts. There are various ways a
moderator may do this, either by using the Moderator Control Panel when viewing a forum, navigating
to the selection menu beneath the topic in question, or editing any post within a topic and checking
the relevant checkbox.
Locking a whole topic ensures that no user can reply to it, whereas locking individual posts denies the
post author any editing permissions for that post.
4.2.2. Deleting a topic or post

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
If enabled within the Administration Control Panel permissions, a user may delete their own posts
when either viewing a topic or editing a previous post. The user may only delete a topic or post if it
has not yet been replied to.
Administrators and moderators have similar editing permissions, but only administrators are allowed
to remove topics regardless of replies. Using the selection menu beneath topics allows quick removal.
The Moderator Control Panel allows multiple deletions of separate posts.
Tip
Please note that any topics or posts cannot be retrieved once deleted. Consider using a hidden
forum that topics can be moved to for future reference.
62
Moderator Guide
4.2.3. Moving a topic into another forum

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
To move a topic to another forum, navigate to the Quick MOD Tools area beneath the topic and
select Move Topic from the selection menu. You will then be met with another selection menu of a
location (another forum) to move it to. If you would like to leave a Shadow Topic behind, leave the
box checked. Select the desired forum and click Yes.
4.2.3.1. Shadow Topics

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Shadow topics can be created when moving a topic from one forum to another. A shadow topic is
simply a link to the topic in the forum it’s been moved from. You may choose whether or not to leave
a shadow topic by selecting or unselecting the checkbox in the Move Topic dialog.
To delete a shadow topic, navigate to the forum containing the shadow topic, and use the Moderator
Control Panelto select and delete the topic.
Note
Deleting a shadow topic will not delete the original topic that it is a shadow of.
4.2.4. Duplicating a topic

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Moderators are also allowed to duplicate topics. Duplicating a topic simply creates a copy of the
selected topic in another forum. This can be achieved by using the Quick MOD Tools area beneath
the topic you want to duplicate, or through the Moderator Control Panel when viewing the forum.
From this, you simply select the destination forum you wish to duplicate the topic to. Click Yes to
duplicate the topic.
4.2.5. Announcements and stickies

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
There are various types of topics the forum administrators and moderators (if they have the appropriate
permissions) can assign to specific topics. These special topic types are: Global Announcements,
Announcements, and Stickies. The Topic Type can be chosen when posting a new topic or editing
the first post of a previously posted topic. You may choose which type of topic you would prefer
by selecting the relevant radio button. When viewing the forum, global announcements and basic
announcements are displayed under a separate heading than that of stickies and normal topics.
4.2.6. Splitting posts off a topic

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Moderators also have the ability to split posts from a topic. This can be useful if certain discussions
have spawned a new idea worthy of its own thread, thus needing to be split from the original topic.
63
Moderator Guide
Splitting posts involves moving individual posts from an existing topic to a new topic. You may do
this by using the Quick MOD Tools area beneath the topic you want to split or from the Moderator
Control Panel within the topic.
While splitting, you may choose a title for the new topic, a different forum for the new topic, and
also a different icon. You may also override the default board settings for the amount of posts to be
displayed per page. The Splitting from the selected post option will split all posts from the checked
post, to the last post. The Splitting selected posts option will only split the current selected posts.
4.2.7. Merge topics

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
In phpBB3, it is now possible to merge topics together, in addition to splitting topics. This can be
useful if, for example, two separate topics are related and involve the same discussion. The merging
topics feature allows existing topics to be merged into one another.
To merge topics together, start by locating selection menu beneath the topic in question, which brings
you to the Moderator Control Panel. From here, you need to enter the topic ID of the topic you want
to move the posts to. You can click Select topic to see a list of the topics available and specify which.
Checking the Mark all section will select all the posts in the current topic and allow moving to the
existing topic. The posts merged into the new topic will retain their existing timestamp (e.g. they will
not appear at the end of the topic they are being merged to, but will be sorted based on their timestamp).
4.2.8. Merge posts into another topic

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Rather than just merging topics together, you can also merge specific posts into any other topic.
To merge specific posts into another topic, start by locating the selection menu beneath the topic, and
get to the Moderator Control Panel. From here, you need to enter the topic ID of the topic you want
to move the posts to. You can click Select topic to see a list of the topics available and specify which.
Select the posts which you wish to merge from the current topic, into the existing topic. The posts
merged into the new topic will retain their existing timestamp (e.g. they will not appear at the end of
the topic they are being merged to, but will be sorted based on their timestamp).
4.3. What is the “Moderation queue”?

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
The Moderation Queue is an area where topics and posts which need to be approved are listed. If a
forum or user’s permissions are set to moderator queue via the Administration Control Panel, all posts
made in that forum or by this user will need to be approved by an administrator or moderator before
they are displayed to other users. Topics and posts which require approval can be viewed through the
Moderator Control Panel.
When viewing a forum, topics which have not yet been approved will be marked with an icon,
clicking on this icon will take you directly to the Moderator Control Panel where you may approve
or disapprove the topic. Likewise, when viewing the topic itself, the post requiring approval will be
accompanied with a message which also links to the post waiting approval.
If you choose to approve a topic or post, you will be given the option to notify the user of its approval.
If you choose to disapprove a topic or post, you will be given the option to notify the user of its
disapproval and also specify why you have disapproved the post, and enter a description.
64
Moderator Guide
For further information regarding the Moderator Control Panel, see Section 4.5, “The Moderator
Control Panel (MCP)”.
4.4. What are “Reported posts”?

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Unlike phpBB2, phpBB3 now allows users to report a post, for reasons the board administrator can
define within the Administration Control Panel. If a user finds a post unsuitable for any reason, they
may report it using the Report Post button beside the offending message. This report is then displayed
within the Moderator Control Panel where the Administrator or Moderators can view, close, or delete
the report.
When viewing a forum with post reports within topics, the topic title will be accompanied by a red
exclamation icon. This alerts the administrator(s) or moderators that there a post has been reported.
When viewing topics, reported posts are accompanied by a red exclamation and text. Clicking this
icon or text will bring them to the Reported Posts section of the Moderator Control Panel.
4.5. The Moderator Control Panel (MCP)

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Another new feature in phpBB3 is the Moderator Control Panel, where any moderator will feel at
home. Similar to the Administration Control Panel, this area outlines any current moderator duties
that need to be acted upon. After navigating to the MCP, the moderator will be greeted with any posts
waiting for approval, any post reports and the five latest logged actions - performed by administrators,
moderators, and users.
On the left side is a menu containing all the relevant areas within the MCP. This guide outlines each
individual section and what kind of information they each contain:
Main This contains pre-approved posts, reported posts and the five latest logged
actions.
Moderation queue This area lists any topics or posts waiting for approval.
Reported posts A list of all open or closed reported posts.
User notes This is an area for administrators or moderators to leave feedback on certain
users.
Warnings The ability to warn a user, view current users with warnings and view the
five latest warnings.
Moderator logs This is an in-depth list of the five latest actions performed by administrators,
moderators or users, as shown on the main page of the MCP.
Banning The option to ban users by username, IP address or email address.
4.5.1. Moderation queue

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
65
Moderator Guide
The moderation queue lists topics or posts which require moderator action. The moderation queue is
accessible from the Moderator Control Panel. For more information regarding the moderation queue,
see Section 4.3, “What is the “Moderation queue”?”.
4.5.2. Reported posts

camm15h
MennoniteHobbit
Reported posts are reports submitted by users regarding problematic posts. Any current reported posts
are accessible from the Moderator Control Panel. For more information regarding reported posts, see
Section 4.4, “What are “Reported posts”?”.
4.5.3. Forum moderation

When viewing any particular forum, clicking Moderator Control Panel will take you to the forum
moderation area. Here, you are able to mass moderate topics within that forum via the dropdown box.
The available actions are:
• Delete: Deletes the selected topic(s).
• Move: Moves the selected topic(s) to another forum of your preference.
• Fork: Creates a duplicate of the selected topic(s) in another forum of your preference.
• Lock: Locks the selected topic(s).
• Unlock: Unlocks the selected topic(s).
• Resync: Resynchronise the selected topic(s).
• Change topic type: Change the topic type to either Global Announcement, Announcement, Sticky,
or Regular Topic.
You can also mass-moderate posts within topics. This can be done by navigating through the MCP
when viewing the forum, and clicking on the topic itself. Another way to accomplish this is to click
the MCP link whilst viewing the particular topic you wish to moderate.
When moderating inside a topic, you can: rename the topic title, move the topic to a different forum,
alter the topic icon, merge the topic with another topic, or define how many posts per page will be
displayed (this will override the board setting).
From the selection menu, you may also: lock and unlock individual posts, delete the selected post(s),
merge the selected post(s), or split or split from the selected post(s).
The Post Details link next to posts also entitle you to alter other settings. As well as viewing the
poster’s IP address, profile and notes, and the ability to warn the poster, you also have the option to
change the poster ID assigned to the post. You can also lock or delete the post from this page.
Note
Depending on the specific permissions set to your user account, some of the aforementioned
options and abilities may not be available to you.
66
Chapter 5. User Guide
$Id: user_guide.xml 256 2009-01-20 00:46:07Z MHobbit $
This chapter is targeted at the forum users. It explains all user facing functions that are needed to use phpBB 3.0
5.1. How user permissions affect forum

experience
AdamR
phpBB3 uses permissions on a per-user or per-usergroup basis to allow or disallow users access
to certain functions or features which software offers. These may include the ability to post in
certain forums, having an avatar, or being able to communicate through private messages. All of the
permissions can be set through the Administration Panel.
Permissions can also be set allowing appointed members to perform special tasks or have special
abilities on the bulletin board. Permissions allow the Administrator to define which moderation
functions and in which forums certain users or groups of users are allowed to use. This allows
for appointed users to become moderators on the bulletin board. The administrator can also give
users access to certain sections of the Administration panel, keeping important settings or functions
restricted and safe from malicious acts. For example, a select group of moderators could be allowed to
modify a user's avatar or signature if said avatar or signature is not allowed under a paticular forum's
rules. Without these abilities set, the moderator would need to notify an administrator in order to have
the user's profile changed.
5.2. Registering on a phpBB3 board

zeroK
battye
Registering an account on a phpBB3 board is typically a simple and straight forward procedure.
Figure 5.1. The Typical Registration Page
This is what you should expect to see on a typical registration page.
After clicking the Register link, the terms and conditions of registering will be displayed, which you
must accept to proceed. Some websites will ask you to select whether you are under the age of thirteen
in order to comply with COPPA (the United States' Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998;
more details can be found at http://www.coppa.org). If you are younger than thirteen years of age,
your account will stay inactive until it is approved by a parent or guardian. You will receive an e-mail
in which the next steps required for your account activation are outlined.
67
User Guide
Beyond accepting the terms and conditions, you need to fill out some important details such as
selecting a username, entering your e-mail address and desired password. You can also select your
timezone and language.
If you see in the form where you can specify your username, password etc. a graphic with some odd-
looking characters, then you are seeing the so-called Visual Confirmation. Many boards will have
this, otherwise known as a CAPTCHA, which is an image with distorted letters and numbers which
you must then type into an adjacent box. The reason for this is to ensure that you are a legitimate
user registering (as opposed to a spam robot performing an automated registration). Simply enter the
characters you see into the Confirmation code field and proceed with the registration. If you cannot
understand the code, refresh the page to get a new code.
Figure 5.2. The Visual Confirmation Object
This is an example of a visual confirmation code you might see.
Another option available is the account activation. Here, the administrator can make it a requirement
that you have to follow a link mailed to you after registering before your account is activated. In this
case you will see a message similiar to this one:
Your account has been created. However, this forum requires account activation, an
activation key has been sent to the e-mail address you provided. Please check your
e-mail for further information
It is also possible that the administrator himself/herself has to activate the account.
Some boards will have custom profile fields. If the administrator has elected to display custom profile
fields on the registration screen, these will also appear. In some cases, these custom profile fields will
also be required fields, meaning they must not be left blank.
Once you have completed all of the fields on the registration page, clicking the Submit button will
complete the process. If you wish to clear all fields, clicking the Reset button will do this for you.
After clicking Submit, you will be advised of your next step. In most cases, you will be sent an e-mail
to the address you specified with a link to finalise the registration. Other options also include being
able to login immediately (i.e. there are no further actions for the registration process) or waiting until
an administrator reviews your registration and accepts it, in which case you will be notified by e-mail.
5.3. Orienting Yourself in the User Control

Panel
Heimidal
iWisdom
The User Control Panel (UCP) allows you to alter personal preferences, manage posts you are
watching, send and receive private messages, and change the way information about you appears to
other users. To view the UCP, click the 'User Control Panel' link that appears after logging in.
The UCP is separated into seven tabs: Overview, Private Messages, Profile, Preferences, Friends and
Foes, Attachments, and Groups. Within each tab are several sub pages, accessed by clicking the desired
68
User Guide
link on the left side of the UCP interface. Some of these areas may not be available depending on the
permissions set for you by the administrator.
Every page of the UCP displays your Friends List on the left side. To send a private message to a
friend, click their user name.
TODO: Note that Private messaging will be discussed in its own section
5.3.1. Overview
The Overview displays a snapshot of information about your posting habits such as the date you joined
the forum, your most active topic, and how many total posts you have submitted. Overview sub pages
include Subscriptions, Bookmarks, and Drafts.
Figure 5.3. User Control Panel Overview (Index)
The UCP Overview section
5.3.1.1. Subscriptions
Subscriptions are forums or individual topics that you have elected to watch for any new posts.
Whenever a new post is made inside an area you have subscribed to, an e-mail will be sent you to
informing you of the new addition. To create a subscription, visit the forum or topic you would like
to subscribe to and click the 'Subscribe' link located at the bottom of the page.
To remove a subscription, check the box next to the subscription you would like to remove and click
the 'Unsubscribe' button.
5.3.1.2. Bookmarks
Bookmarks, much like subscriptions, are topics you've chosen to watch. However, there are two key
differences: 1) only individual topics may be bookmarked, and 2) an e-mail will not be sent to inform
you of new posts.
To create a bookmark, visit the topic you would like to watch and click the 'Bookmark Topic' link
located at the bottom of the page.
To remove a bookmark, check the box next to the bookmark you would like to remove and click the
'Remove marked bookmarks' button.
5.3.1.3. Drafts
Drafts are created when you click the 'Save' button on the New Post or Post Reply page. Displayed
are the title of your post, the forum or topic that the draft was made in, and the date you saved it.
69
User Guide
To continue editing a draft for future submission, click the 'View/Edit' link. If you plan to finish and
post the message, click 'Load Draft'. To delete a draft, check the box next to the draft you wish to
remove and click 'Delete Marked'.
5.3.2. Profile
This section lets you set your profile information. Your profile information contains general
information that other users on the board will able to see. Think of your profile as a sign of your public
presence. This section is separated from your preferences. (Preferences are the individual settings that
you set and manage on your own, and control your forum experience. Thus, this is separated from
your profile settings.)
5.3.2.1. Personal settings

Personal settings control the information that is displayed when a user views your profile.
• ICQ Number: Your account number associated with ICQ [http://www.icq.com/] system.
• AOL Instant Messenger: Your screen name associated with AOL Instant Messenger [http://
aim.com] system.
• MSN Messenger: Your email address associated with the MSN Messenger (Windows Live) [http://
home.live.com/] service.
• Yahoo Messenger: Your username associated with the Yahoo Messenger [http://
messenger.yahoo.com/] service.
• Jabber Address: Your username associated with the Jabber [http://www.jabber.org/] service.
• Website: Your website's address. Must be prepended with the appropriate protocol reference (i.e.
http://)
• Location: Your physical location. Note that this is generally displayed along with your user
information with every post, so standard caution regarding releasing personal information on the
Internet should apply.
• Occupation: Your occupation. The information entered will appear only on the viewprofile page.
• Interests: Your personal interests. The information entered here will appear only on the viewprofile
page.
• Birthday: Your birthday. This information is used for displaying your username in the Birthday
section of the Board Index. If year is specified, your age will be displayed in your profile.
5.3.2.2. Signature
Your signature appears, at your option, below every post you make. Signatures may be formatted using
BBCode. The board administrator may specifiy a maximum length for signatures. You can check this
limit by noting the line There is a x character limit. above the signature editing textbox, where x is
the currently set limit.
5.3.2.3. Avatar
Your avatar is an image the displays with every post you make. Depending on board settings, avatars
may be completely disabled, or may appear in one (or more) of three forms: "Upload from your
machine", "Upload from a URL", and "Link off-site.
• Upload from your machine: You may upload an avatar from your machine to be hosted on the
board's server.
70
User Guide
• Upload from a URL: You may specify the URL of an existing image. This will cause the image to
be copied to the board's server and hosted on it.
• Link off-site: You may specify the URL of an existing image. This will not cause the image to be
hosted on the board's server, but rather hotlinked to its current location.
Additionally, a board administrator may opt to provide an avatar gallery for users to make use of. These
images are pre-selected by the administrator and are able to be used by any of a board's members.
5.3.3. Preferences
Preferences allow you to dictate various behaviours of the phpBB software in regards to your
interaction with it.
5.3.3.1. Global
Global settings control various overall interactions with the phpBB software.
• Users can contact by e-mail: If Yes is selected, users can e-mail you via the "e-mail" button in your
profile.
• Administratos can e-mail me information: If Yes is selected, you will receive mass-emails sent out
by the board administrator.
• Allow users to send you private messages: If Yes is selected, users can send you private messages
via the board.
• Hide my online status: If Yes is selected, your online status will be hidden to users. Note that
administrators and moderators will still be able to view your online status.
• Notify me on new privates messages: If Yes is selected, you will receive an email when you receive
a new private messages.
• Pop up window on new private messages: If Yes is selected, a pop-up window will appear on the
board to alert you of new private messages.
• My language: Allows you to specify what language pack the board utilizes. Note that this setting
applies only to board language strings; posts will be rendered in the language they were written.
• My timezone: Allows you to specify what timezone board times should appear in.
• Summer Time / DST is in effect: If Yes is selected, board times will appear one hour earlier than
the selected setting. Note that this setting is not updated automatically; you will have to change it
manually when needed.
• My date format: Controls what format times are rendered in. You may select one of the options in
the dropdown box -- advanced users may select "Custom" and input a custom format (in the format
of the php.net date function [http://www.php.net/date]).
5.3.3.2. Posting
Posting settings control the default settings of the posting editors when you create a post. Note that
these options are controllable on an individual basis while posting.
• Enable BBCode by default: When Yes is selected, BBCode is enabled within the post editor.
• Enable smiles by default: When Yes is selected, smiles will be rendered within your posts.
• Attach my signature by default: When Yes is selected, your signature will be appended to your posts.
• Notify me upon replies by default: When yes is selected, you will be notified by email when a reply
to your post is made.
71
User Guide
5.3.3.3. Display
TODO: Explain the settings you can edit here.
5.3.4. Friends and Foes

TODO: (Not sure if this deserves its own section yet. For 3.0 this does not have much of an influence
on the overall forum experience, this might change with 3.2, so leaving it here for now.) Write a
detailed explanation about what Friends and Foes are and how they affect the forum like hiding posts
of foes, adding users to the friends list for fast access / online checks, and so forth.
5.3.5. Attachments
TODO: The attachment section of the UCP shows you a list of all attachments that you have uploaded
to the board so far ...
5.3.6. Usergroups
TODO: Work in progress, might change, so not sure how this is going to be structured.
5.4. Mastering the Posting Screen

AdamR
Noxwizard
TODO: How to write a new post and how to reply. Special items like attachments or polls are
subsections. Don't forget to mention the "someone has replied before you replied" feature, the topic
review, and so forth. Topic icons, smilies, post options, usage of HTML ... it would probably best to
add a screenshot with arrows to the different sections.
Posting is the primary purpose of bulletin boards. There are two main types of posts you can make: a
topic or a reply. Selecting the New Topic button in a forum button will take you to the posting screen.
After submitting your post, a new topic will appear in that forum with your post as the first displayed.
Other users (and you as well) are now able to reply to your topic by using the Post Reply button. This
will once again bring you to the posting screen, allowying you to enter your post.
5.4.1. Posting Form

You will be taken to the posting form when you decide to post either a new topic or reply, where you
can enter your post content.
• Topic/Post Icon: The topic/post icon is a small icon that will display to the left of your post subject.
This helps identify your post and make it stand out, though it is completely optional.
• Subject: If you are creating a new topic with your post, the subject is required and will become the
title of the topic. If you are replying to an existing topic, this is optional, but it can be changed.
• Post Content - While not being labled, the large text box is where your actual post content will
be entered. Here, along with your text, you may use things like Smilies or BBCode if the board
administrator has them enabled.
• Smilies - Smilies, or emoticons, are small images which can be inserted into your post to add
expression emphasis. If Smilies are enabled, you will see the text "Smilies are ON" to the righthand
of the Post Content box. Otherwise, you will see the text "Smilies are OFF." See Posting Smilies
for further details.
• BBCode - BBCode is a type of formatting that can be applied to your post content if BBCode has
been enabled by the board administrator. If BBCode is enabled, you will see the text "BBCode is
72
User Guide
ON" to the righthand of the Post Content box. Otherwise, you will see the text "BBCode is OFF."
See Posting BBCode for further details.
5.4.2. Smilies
Smilies, or emoticons, are small images which can be inserted into your post to add expression
emphasis. To use Smiles, certain characters are put together to get the desired output. For example,
typing :) will insert [insert smilie here], ;) will insert [insert wink smilie here], etc. Other smilies require
the format :texthere: to display. For example, :roll: will insert smilie whose eyes are rolling: [insert
rolling smilie here], and :cry: will insert a smilie who is crying: [insert crying smilie here].
In many cases you can also select which smilie you'd like to insert by clicking its picture on the right
side of the Post Content text box. When clicked, the smilie's characters will appear at the current
location of the curser in the text box.
If you wish to be able to use these characters in your post, but not have them appear as smilies, please
see Posting Options.
5.4.3. BBCodes
TODO: What are BBcodes. Again, permission based which ones you can use. Explain syntax of the
default ones (quote and URL for instance). How to disable BBcode by default, how to disable/enable
it for one post.
BBCode is a type of formatting that can be applied to your post content, much like HTML. Unlike
HTML, however, BBCode uses square brackets [ and ] instead of angled brackets < and >. Depending
on the permissions the board administrator has set, you may be able to use only certain BBCodes or
even none at all.
For detailed instructions on the useage of BBCode, you can click the BBCode link to the righthand
of the Post Content text box. Please note that the administrator has the option to add new and custom
BBCodes, so others may be availible to you which are not on this list.
Basic BBCodes and their outputs are as follows:
TODO: How do we want to go about displaying the output?
[b]Boldface text[/b]:
[i]Italicised text[/i]:
[u]Underlined text[/u]:
[quote]Quoted text[/quote]:
[quote="Name to quote"]Quoted text[/quote]:
[url]http://www.phpbb.com[/url]: http://www.phpbb.com
[url=http://www.phpbb.com]Linked text[/url]: Linked text [http://www.phpbb.com]
Again, for more detailed instructions on the useage of BBCode and the many other available BBCodes,
please click the BBCode link to the righthand of the Post Content text bos.
5.4.4. Post Options

TODO: Gather various screenshots of the basic post options box. When posting a topic/reply and/or
moderation functions, etc.
When posting either a new topic or reply, there are several post options that are available to you.
You can view these options by selecting the Options tab from the section below the posting form.
73
User Guide
Depending on the permissions the board administrator has assigned to you or whether you are posting
a topic or reply, these options will be different.
• Disable BBCode: If BBCode is enabled on the board and you are allowed to use it, this option will
be available. Checking this box will not convert any BBCode in your post content into its respected
output. For example, [b]Bolded text[/b] will be seen in your post as exactly [b]Bolded text[/b].
• Disable Smilies: If Smilies are enabled on the board and you are allowed to use them, this option
will be available. Checking this box will not convert any of the smilie's characters to their respected
image. For example, ;) will be seen in your post as exactly ;).
• Do not automatically parse URLs: When entering a URL directly into your post content (in the
format of http://....com or www.etc.com), by default it will be converted to a clickable string of text.
However, if this box is checked when posting, these URLs will stay as a standard string of text.
• Attach a signature (signatures can be altered via the UCP): If this box is checked, the signature you
have set in your profile will be attached to the post provided signatures have been enabled by the
administrator and you have the proper permissions. For more information about signatures, please
see UCP Signatures.
• Send me an email when a reply is posted: If this box is checked, you will receive a notification
(either by email, Jabber, etc) every time another user replies to the topic. This is called subscribing
to the topic. For more information, please see UCP Subscriptions.
• Lock topic: Provided you have moderation permissions in this forum, checking this box will result
in the topic being locked after your reply has been posted. At this point, no one but moderators or
administrators may reply to the topic. For more information, please see Locking a topic or post.
5.4.4.1. Topic Types

Provided you have the right permissions, you have the option of selecting various topic types when
posting a new topic by using Post topic as. The four possible types are: Normal, Sticky, Announcement,
and Global. By default, all new posts are Normal.
• Normal: By selecting normal, your new topic will be a standard topic in the forum.
• Sticky: Stickies are special topics in the forum. They are "stuck" to the top of the first page of the
forum in which they are posted, above every Normal topic.
• Announcement: Announcements are much like Stickies in that they are "stuck" to the top of the
forum. However, they are different from stickies in two ways: 1) they are above Stickies, and 2)
they appear at the top of every page of the forum instead of only the first page of topics.
• Global: Global, or Global Announcements, are special types of Announcements which appear at the
top of every page of every forum on the board. They appear above every other type of special topic.
You also have the ability to specify how long the special (stickies, announcements, and global
announcements) keep their type. For example, an announcement is created and specified to stay "stuck"
for 4 days. After the 4 days are over, the announcement will automatically be switched to a Normal
topic.
5.4.5. Attachments
Attachments allow users to upload files and attach them to their post. The ability to attach and
download attachments is determined by the "Can attach files" and "Can download files" permissions
respectively.
To add an attachment, find the Upload attachment section of the posting page and click the Browse
button. A comment may be placed in the File comment text box. Clicking Add the file will upload and
attach the file to the post. To upload multiple files, repeat the process.
74
User Guide
To delete an attachment, find the Posted attachments section of the posting page and click teh Delete
file button for the desired attachment.
Attachments can be displayed within the post text by clicking the Place inline button for the desired
attachment. When an attachment is placed inline, text similar to a BBCode is inserted into the post text
so that it may be moved. If an attachment is not placed inline, it will be displayed at the end of the post.
Attachments are controlled by a set of restrictions, namely file size and file type.
• File Size: The maximum file size for uploaded files is set by the Administrator. The default is
256KiB.
• File Type: The types of files allowed for upload are restricted by their file extension. The allowed
extensions are set by the Administrator.
For more information on changing attachment settings, please see ACP Attachment Settings.
5.4.6. Polls
Polls allow users to use a topic to vote about an idea or issue. Polls can only be created in the first post
of a topic. The ability to create and vote in polls is determined by the "Polls" set by the administrator.
• Poll question - This is the idea or issue that is being voted on in the poll. This is required to start
a poll.
• Poll options - These are the allowed answers to the poll question. When entering a poll option, each
should be placed on a separate line of the textbox. At least two poll options are required.
• Options per user - This is the number of options each user may select when voting. When a user is
allowed more than one option, a series of checkboxes replaces the radio buttons of the standard poll.
• Run poll for - This is the number of days in which users can vote in the poll. Once the time has
passed, no more votes can be made and the results will be displayed.
• Allow revoting - If this is chosen, users will be able re-cast their votes.
5.4.7. Drafts
When creating a post, it can be saved or loaded using the drafts feature. If the board permissions allow
drafts to be saved, then Save and Load buttons will appear on the posting page.
• Save - Saves a post as a draft. When a draft is saved, only the subject and message of the post are
stored. Topic icons, attachments, etc… will be lost.
• Load - Loads a saved draft. When clicked, a listing of available drafts will appear. Click the title
of the desired post to load the draft. Any information in the current post will be lost and replaced
with that of the draft.
Once a draft is used, it is removed. For more information on managing drafts, please see UCP Drafts.
Note
If there are no drafts available, the Load button will not appear.
5.5. Communicate with Private Messages

phpBB 3.0 allows its users to communicate privately by using Private Messages. To visit the Private
Messages section, you either can click on the [X new messages] link on the left hand side below the
forum header, or you can directly access it through the User Control Panel..
Depending on your [settings], there are 3 ways of being notified that a new Private Message has
arrived:
75
User Guide
1. By receiving an e-mail or Jabber message
2. While browsing the forum a notification window will pop up
3. The [X new messages] link will show the number of currently unread messages
You can set the options to your liking in the Preferences section. Note, that for the popup window
notification to work, your will have to add the forum you are visiting to your browser’s popup blocker
white list.
You can choose to not receive Private Messages by other users in your Preferences. Note, that
moderators and administrators will still be able send you Private Messages, even if you have disabled
them.
[To use this feature, you have to be a registered user and need the to have the correct permissions.]
5.5.1. Message display

The Inbox is the default incoming folder, which contains a list of your recently received Private
Messages.
5.5.2. Composing a new message

TODO: Similar to the posting screen, so a reference for the basic functions should be enough. What
needs to be explained are the To and Bcc fields, how they integrate with the friends list and how to
find members (which could also be a link to the memberlist section).
5.5.3. Message Folders

dhn
Just like in your e-mail client, all private messages are stored in folders. Working with folders is
similar to working with forums in phpBB 3.0. The Inbox is your default incoming message folder. All
messages you receive will appear in here.
Sent messages will appear in either the Outbox or the Sent messages folder. As long as the recipient(s)
have not yet read the message, it will stay in the Outbox. As soon as someone reads the message it
will be archived to the Sent messages folder. If the administrator allows it, you can edit messages after
sending them as long as they are in the Outbox and the recipients have not yet read them.
Each folder, including Sent messages and Outbox, can hold a board-defined amount of messages. This
is a global setting that only a board administrator can change. An info text displays the current number
of allowed messages and the current percentage of space your messages are using at the top of each
folder. If no restriction is displayed, you are allowed unlimited messages in each folder.
Note
Please note that the total amount of messages allowed is a per-folder setting. You can have
multiple folders which each allow 50 messages for instance. If you have 3 folders, your actual
global limit is 150 messages, but each folder can only contain up to 50 messages by itself. It
is not possible to merge folders and have one with more messages than the limit.
5.5.3.1. Custom Folders

dhn
If the administrator allows it, you can create your own custom private message folders in phpBB 3.0.
To check whether you can add folders, visit the Edit options section of the private message area.
76
User Guide
To add a new folder, enter the folder's name into the Add folder input box. If creation was successful,
your new folder will appear at the bottom of the folder list. You can then use it like a normal message
folder and move messages into it or set a filter (see the section on Private Message Filters for more
information about filters) to automatically do it for you.
5.5.3.2. Moving Messages

dhn
It wouldn't make sense to have custom folders if you weren't able to move messages between them. To
do exactly that, visit the folder from which you want to move the messages away. Select the messages
you want to move, and use the Moved marked pull-down menu to select the destination folder.
Note
Please note that if after the move, the destination folder would have more messages in it than
the message limit allows, you will receive an error message and the move will be discarded.
5.5.3.3. Message Markers

dhn
Messages inside folders can have colour markings. Please refer to the Message colours legend to see
what each colour means. The exact type of colouring depends on the used theme. Coloured messages
can have four different meanings:
Marked message You can set a message as marked with the Mark as important option
from the pull-down menu.
Replied to message If you reply to a message, the message will be marked as this. This
way, you can keep hold of which messages still need your attention
and which messages you have already replied to.
Message from a friend If the sender of a message is in your friends list (see the section on
Friends & Foes for more information), this colour will highlight the
message.
Message from a foe If the sender of a message is one of your foes, this colour will
highlight this.
Note
Please note that a message can only have one label, and it will always be the last action you
take. If you mark a message as important and reply to it afterwards, for instance, the replied
to label will overwrite the important label.
5.5.4. Message filters

TODO: How to work with message filters. That is quite a complex system
5.6. Search - How to Find What You are

Looking For
TODO: Explain how to use the search system. This should also include the results page, and the refine
function. Also note, that the title (Search: search term) is a link that one can copy and paste into a post
to directly link to the results. Egosearch and the global search field should also be included here.
77
User Guide
5.7. The Memberlist - More Than Meets the

Eye
pentapenguin
battye
phpBB3 introduces several new ways to search for users.
Figure 5.4. Sorting the memberlist
Choosing an option to sort the memberlist by.
Sort By Username If you want to find all members whose usernames start with
a certain letter, then you may select the letter from the list of
letters shown at the top of the memberlist. For instance, clicking
"A" will display all usernames beginning with the letter A,
while clicking "B" will list all usernames beginning with B.
Clicking the hash (#) will display a list of usernames that do
not begin with one of the twenty-six letters: in other words,
numbers and other characters.
Sort By Column Headers Each of the column headings are also sort links. That means you
can click Username, Rank, Posts, Website, Location, >Joined,
or Last Active to sort by that group. Upon clicking this for the
first time, the lists will be sorted in ascending order (meaning
that usernames would be listed A to Z and joined date would
be listed earliest to most recent.) If you want to order the list in
descending order, wait until the page has loaded in ascending
order and click the column heading you wish to order by for a
second time.
Sort By Other Options You may also sort the memberlist by using the dropdown boxes
on the bottom of the page.
Find a Member Search Tool You can narrow down your search results using the Find
a member search function. This feature allows you to find
members by their username, ICQ number, AIM, YIM, MSN
Messenger/Windows Live Messenger address, join date, last
active date, number of posts, IP address, and usergroup
membership(s). All dates should be entered in the format
YYYY-MM-DD (such as 2004-02-28 to represent February 28,
78
User Guide
2004). The asterix (*) can be used as a wildcard for partial

matches, such as entering "Ar*" into the username field to find
all usernames beginning with Ar. Press the Submit button to
begin the search, or the Reset button if you wish to clear all
fields and start the search again.
79
Chapter 6. Glossary
$Id: glossary.xml 240 2008-12-19 17:06:29Z toonarmy $
A guide to the terms used in the phpBB Documentation and on the forums.
6.1. Terms
MennoniteHobbit
pentapenguin
Techie-Micheal
ameeck
There are quite a few terms that are commonly used throughout phpBB and the support forums. Here
is some information on these terms.
ACP The ACP, which stands for "Administration Control Panel", is the main
place from which you, the administrator, can control every aspect of your
forum.
ASCII ASCII, or "American Standard Code for Information Interchange", is a

common way of encoding data to transfer it to a different computer. FTP
clients have ASCII as a mode to transfer files. All phpBB files (files with
the file extensions .php, .inc, .sql, .cfg, .htm, and .tpl), except for the image
files, should be uploaded in ASCII mode.
Attachments Attachments are files that can be attached to posts, like e-mail attachments.
Certain restrictions, set by the board administrator, control what users can
attach.
Avatar Avatars are small images that are displayed next to a username. Avatars can
be changed in your profile and settings (such as allow/disallow uploading)
edited from the ACP.
BBCode BBCode is a special way of formatting posts that offers great control over
what and how something is displayed. BBCode has a syntax similar to
HTML.
Binary Within phpBB, "binary" usually refers to another common way of encoding
data for transfer (the other being ASCII. This is often found as a mode in
an FTP clients to upload files. All of phpBB's images (found mainly in the
images/ directory and the style's directories) should be uploaded in binary
mode.
Cache Cache is a way of storing frequently-accessed data. By storing this data,

your server will have less load put on it, allowing it to process other tasks.
By default, phpBB caches its templates, when they are compiled and used,
and common static SQL queries.
Category A category is a group of any sort of similar items; for example, forums.
chmod chmod is a way of changing the permissions of a file on a *nix (UNIX,

Linux, etc.) server. Files in phpBB should be chmodded 644. Directories
should be chmodded to 755. Avatar upload directories and templates cache
directories should be chmodded to 777. For more information regarding
chmod, please consult your FTP client's documentation.
Client A client is a computer that accesses another computer's service(s) via a

network.
80
Glossary
Cookie A cookie is a small piece of data put onto the user's computer. Cookies are
used with phpBB to store login information (used for automatic logins).
Database A database is a collection stored in a structured, organized manner (with

different tables, rows, and columns, etc.). Databases provide a fast and
flexible way of storing data, instead of the other commonly used data
storage system of flat files where data is stored in a file. phpBB 3.0 supports
a number of different DBMSs and uses the database to store information
such as user details, posts, and categories. Data stored in a database can
usually be backed up and restored easily.
DBAL DBAL, or "Database Abstraction Layer", is a system that allows phpBB 3.0
to access many different DBMSs with little overhead. All code made for
phpBB (including MODs) need to use the phpBB DBAL for compatibility
and performance purposes.
DBMS A DBMS, or "Database Management System", is a system or software

designed to manage a database. phpBB 3.0 supports the following DBMSs:
Firebird, MS SQL Server, mySQL, Oracle, postgreSQL, and SQLite.
FTP FTP stands for "File Transfer Protocol". It is a protocol which allows files
to be transferred between computers. FTP clients are programs that are used
to transfer files via FTP.
Founder A founder is a special board administrator that cannot be edited or deleted.

This is a new user level introduced in phpBB 3.0.
GZip GZip is a compression method often used in web applications and software
such as phpBB to improve speed. Most modern browsers support this on-
the-fly algorithm. Gzip is also used to compress an archive of files. Higher
compression levels, however, will increase server load.
IP address An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique address that

identifies a specific computer or user.
Jabber Jabber is an open-source protocol that can be used for instant messenging.
For more information on Jabber's role in phpBB, see Section 3.2.2.3,
“Jabber settings”.
MCP The MCP, or Moderation Control Panel, is the central point from which all
moderators can moderate their forums. All moderation-related features are
contained in this control panel.
MD5 MD5 (Message Digest algorithm 5) is a commonly-used hash function used

by phpBB. MD5 is an algorithm which takes an input of any length and
outputs a message digest of a fixed length (128-bit, 32 characters). MD5 is
used in phpBB to turn the users' passwords into a one-way hash, meaning
that you cannot "decrypt" (reverse) an MD5 hash and get users' passwords.
User passwords are stored as MD5 hashes in the database.
MOD A MOD is a code modification for phpBB that either adds, changes, or
in some other way enhances, phpBB. MODs are written by third-party
authors; as such, the phpBB Group does not assume any responsibility for
MODs.
PHP PHP, or "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor", is a commonly-used open-source

scripting language. phpBB is written in PHP and requires the PHP runtime
engine to be installed and properly configured on the server phpBB is
run on. For more information about PHP, please see the PHP [http://
www.php.net] home page.
81
Glossary
phpMyAdmin phpMyAdmin is a popular open-source program that is used to manage

MySQL databases. When MODding phpBB or otherwise changing it, you
may have to edit your database. phpMyAdmin is one such tool that will
allow you to do so. For more information regarding phpMyAdmin, please
see the phpMyAdmin project home page [http://www.phpmyadmin.net].
Private Messages Private messages are a way for registered members to communicate
privately through your board without the need to fall back to e-mail or
instant messaging. They can be sent between users (they can also be
forwarded and have copies sent, in phpBB 3.0) that cannot be viewed by
anyone other than the intended recipient. The user guide contains more
information on using phpBB3's private messaging system.
Rank A rank is a sort of title that is assigned to a user. Ranks can be added, edited,
and deleted by administrators.
Note
When assigning a special rank name to a user, remember that
no permissions are associated. For example, if you create a
"Support Moderator" rank and assign it to a user, that user will
not automatically get moderator permissions. You must assign the
user the special permissions separately.
Server-writable Anything on your server that is server-writable means that the file(s) or
folder(s) in question have their permissions properly set so that the server
can write to them. Some phpBB3 functions that may require some files
and/or folders to be writable by the server include caching and the actual
installation of phpBB3 (the config.php file needs to be written during
the installation process). Making files or folders server-writable, however,
depends on the operating system that the server is running under. On
*nix-based servers, users can configure file and folder permissions via the
CHMOD utility, while Windows-based servers offer their own permissions
scheme. It is possible with some FTP clients to change file and folder
permissions as well.
Session A session is a visit to your phpBB forums. For phpBB, a session is how
long you spend on the forums. It is created when you login deleted when
you log off. Session IDs are usually stored in a cookie, but if phpBB is
unable to get cookie information from your computer, then a session ID is
appended to the URL (e.g. index.php?sid=999). This session ID preserves
the user's session without use of a cookie. If sessions were not preserved,
then you would find yourself being logged out every time you clicked on
a link in the forum.
Signature A signature is a message displayed at the end of a user's post. Signatures

are set by the user. Whether or not a signature is displayed after a post is
set by the user's profile settings.
SMTP SMTP stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol". It is a protocol

for sending email. By default, phpBB uses PHP's built-in mail()
[http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.mail.php] function to send email.
However, phpBB will use SMTP to send emails if the required SMTP data
is correctly set up.
Style A style is made up of a template set, image set, and stylesheet. A style
controls the overall look of your forum.
Sub-forum Sub-forums are a new feature introduced in phpBB 3.0. Sub-forums are
forums that are nested in, or located in, other forums.
82
Glossary
Template A template is what controls the layout of a style. phpBB 3.0 template files
have the .html file extension. These template files contain mostly HTML
(no PHP, however), with some variables that phpBB uses (contained in
braces: { and }).
UCP The UCP, or User Control Panel, is the central point from which users can
manage all of the settings and features that pertain to their accounts.
UNIX Timestamp phpBB stores all times in the UNIX timestamp [http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Unix_time] format for easy conversion to other time zones and time
formats.
Usergroup Usergroups are a way of grouping users. This makes it easier to set
permissions to many people at the same time (e.g. create a moderator group
and give it moderating permissions to a certain forum instead of giving lots
of individual people moderating permissions separately). A usergroup has
a usergroup moderator (a leader, essentially), who has the ability to add
or delete users from the group. Usergroups can be set to hidden, closed or
open. If a usergroup is open, users can try requesting membership via the
proper page within the group control panel. phpBB 3.0 has six pre-defined
usergroups.
83

PHPBB 3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

PHPBB 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

phpBB 3.

Edited by Dominik Dröscher and Graham Eames

3.4.9. Orphaned attachments .......................................................................... 37

4.4. What are “Reported posts”? ............................................................................ 65

• A SQL database system, one of:

• FireBird 2.0 or above

• MySQL 3.23 or above

• MS SQL Server 2000 or above (directly or via ODBC)

• PostgreSQL 7.x or above

• zlib Compression support

• Remote FTP support

Figure 1.1. Introduction

The introduction page of the installation system.

1.2.3. Database settings

• The Database name- the name of the database on the server.

Figure 1.2. Database settings

1.2.4. Administrator details

1.2.5. Configuration file

1.2.6. Advanced settings

1.3. General settings

1.3.1. Board Settings

Figure 1.3. Board Settings

1.3.2. Board Features

Figure 1.4. Board Features

Enabling and disabling basic features with just 2 clicks

1.4. Creating forums

Creating a new forum.

1.5. Setting permissions

1.5.1. Permission types

1. User/Group permissions (global) - e.g. disallow changing avatar

2. Administrator permissions (global) - e.g. allow to manage forums

4. Forum permissions (local) - e.g. allow to see a forum or post topics

Figure 1.5. Global and local permissions

Global and local permissions

1.5.2. Setting forum permissions

Figure 1.6. Select Groups

Select Groups or Users to set Forum Permissions

1.5.3. Manual permissions

• YES will allow a permission setting unless it is overwritten by a NEVER.

• NO will be disallow a permission setting unless it is overwritten by a YES.

Figure 1.7. Manual permissions

Setting permissions manually

1.5.4. Permissions roles

Figure 1.8. Permission roles

Setting permissions with roles

1.5.5. Assign moderators to forums

Figure 1.9. The Forum Moderator's Permissions

Set the moderator's permissions

1.5.6. Setting global permissions

1.6. Obtaining support

In addition to the support forum on www.phpbb.com, we provide a Knowledge Base [http://

2.1. Upgrading from 2.0 to 3.0

The upgrade process from 2.0.x to 3.0.x is a straight-forward, simplified process.

This chapter describes the phpBB 3.0 admin controls.

3.1. The Administration Control Panel

Figure 3.1. Administration Control Panel Index

3.2. General Configuration and Front Page

3.2.1. Board Configuration

3.2.1.1. Attachment Settings

3.2.1.2. Board Settings

3.2.1.3. Board Features

3.2.1.4. Avatar Settings

3.2.1.5. Private Messaging